When Stars Align
by The Snow Dragon of Jupiter
Summary: When Team Natsu decides to catch up with Lisanna, things don't go well for Lucy. Instead, she is left in the shadows, forgotten, deemed useless. Longing for space to mend her broken heart, Lucy parts on a journey. Along the way, she experiences a variety of changes, including newfound companionship. But what does this entail? What'll happen when Natsu becomes aware of her absence?
1. Decisions

**Yup… another fanfic. Yup, I haven't finished Tactics's next chapter. But seriously, I'm too obsessed with Fairy Tail, I just have to write this.**

* * *

She shouldn't be crying. She had already seen it coming. The day _it_ happened was the start of the countdown for _this_. She was just hoping it would take longer, or even had a sliver of faith that it wouldn't happen. But the odds were not in her favor.

Wiping the back of her hand over her wet eyes, Lucy got up from the ground, travelling suitcase packed to the brim and an attempted determination shining in her glassy eyes. It was around sunset, the bright orange light gleaming through her window and reflecting the sparkling clean room. Lucy had taken the chance to wipe the dust and impurities, as a favor for the landlady.

She liked to think she was leaving a very treasured home and wanted to rembember it as such.

Lucy eyed the bed with squinted eyes, surpressing a sob. The pink duvet. _Pink._ She shook her head, clearing her throat and slapping her cheek gently. She did not want her mind to go over there. It would be much too painful and she knew it.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Lucy looked up, meeting the distressed looking Loke. His eyes were narrowed sadly behind his tinted shades, and his mouth was pressed in a firm line. The blonde nodded vigorously.

"I have to. Not just because of her… because I know I need to get stronger," she replied, and the attempt to make her voice come out strong was visible. Loke seemed to be debating the answer with himself for a moment, and she didn't blame him. He was worried.

After all, she was leaving Fairy Tail, the guild that had supported her as family for so long.

And saying it wasn't painful was a very grave lie.

"But you are leaving so many people. What about your family?" Loke insisted, and lowered his voice to a whisper, "What about Natsu?"

Lucy froze at the name, and he felt bad for bringing the Dragon Slayer up. He knew what she felt for Natsu, she was his master and closest friend of the human world. But he had to reason with her about her decision.

"… He'll be fine. He has Lisanna."

Loke flinched. Lisanna. Loke never really knew that girl, but he didn't intend to anymore. Knowing what the Take Over mage was to Natsu, he didn't even want to make eye contact with the one she _thought _would be replacing her.

"You do realize he's going to figure it out soon, don't you?" he retorted, "He always barges in uninvited and when he sees you're not here…"

Lucy shook her head, making him trail that sentence.

"He's going on a mission with Erza, Gray, Mira and Lisanna," she lied, and her grip on her suitcase seemed tighter, "It's quite dangerous, that's why they didn't want me to go. They won't be back for… probably three months."

She still remembered. How he'd barely said anything when she spoke up, and just kept talking to Lisanna like she wasn't there. Like she didn't even exist. Lucy felt her eyes burn again at the memory, but she inhaled sharply to push away the tears. She would not cry. This was her decision.

_Plus, I don't want any more headaches, _she thought.

"He'll notice when he comes back, then," Loke kept on saying, "He'll be miserable!"

"He'll be fine, Loke," Lucy said, getting impatient, "I thought you wanted to help."

"I do!" he exclaimed. The Lion Spirit then gritted his teeth, and sighed in frustration, whispering, "I just… you're leaving Fairy Tail. I know we'll come back, but… it feels wrong."

To his surprise, Lucy had her arms wrapped around his back in a tight hug.

"I know. It feels wrong to me too. I just have to do this… I have to get away for some time to think and to get stronger."

Her voice was soft and trying to be friendly, but he knew she was suffering on the inside. However, it was her decision, and deciding to become stronger just made him prouder of her than he'd ever been before.

"Alright," he said, and smiled, folding his arms around her. They tightened the embrace for a moment, before letting go. Despite the remaining tears and watery eyes, Lucy's smile was unwavering and true.

"I'll make my Spirits proud by becoming stronger, and I'll make myself proud as well."

Loke smiled. With that said, he grabbed her other suitcase, and they both walked out of the apartment, heading for Magnolia's Train Station.

* * *

"Where are we headed?"

Lucy lifted her head from the back of the seat, rubbing her heavy brown eyes. It was pitch black outside, around one in the morning, and she had been sleeping in the train until Loke's deep voice acted like an alarm clock. Remembering his question, she sighed.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, and brought the blanket around her to her neck, "I think Crocus. I know that I have to get away from Magnolia, but I need supplies. I need to find libraries of any sorts to check out more about Celestial magic."

"Are you going to obtain any more celestial keys?" Loke asked.

"Probably… I saved up money for this little escape, but I didn't really ponder on that."

That would be a problem. Lucy grimaced, and turned her head to stare at the window. The night was so dark that she couldn't make out any sorts of shapes, like a black curtain draped over the glass.

"We already agreed I'd be helping you with hand-to-hand combat and such, but about your magic…" Loke trailed, sighing lightly, "I'm just as clueless as you. The only Celestial magic I'm familiar with is Spirit summoning, nothing else."

"Do you think there _is_ something else in Celestial magic, other than what I'm capable of?"

Loke frowned, leaning back on the seat. He'd talked it out with his fellow Spirits, but only Capricorn seemed to have some knowledge. He said he was not an expert on the matter, but there were other types of Celestial magic, other than Spirits. He just didn't know them.

"There is, Capricorn told me so," he said, "He doesn't know them, though."

"Well… I guess I have to find out."

They merged in silence afterwards, and Lucy was easily slipping back into dreamland – Loke could visibly see _and _sense it. She was both frustrated and stressed, burning out her brain as she worked out ideas in her mind, but she was clearly tired.

"Lucy, go back to sleep," Loke said, gently, "You can worry about that tomorrow, in the Capital."

Puffing out her cheeks rather cutely, Lucy nodded, and closed her eyes. The redhead Spirit crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the falling asleep blonde with worry dancing in his eyes. He remembered when she called him, broken down in tears and clutching to his chest as she sobbed violently. Loke was beyond shocked, but upon hearing her side of the story, that shock slowly dissipated – only to be replaced by anger.

Turns out, Natsu and the others had been ignoring her for two months. At first, they were only paying less attention to her, Natsu coming by her house less frequently. But as the days went by, she found herself sitting at the bar far away from Team Natsu, which now seemed have replaced her with Lisanna. Lucy always watched them, eyes heavy and threatning to spill her bottled up tears. At some time, Natsu stopped visiting and talking to her altogether, and the whole guild acted as if she was invisible. Feeling rejected and heartbroken, Lucy decided to leave. Master Makarov was crestfallen with her decision, but after pointless arguments, he allowed her to leave – but only temporarily. Lucy agreed with him though, knowing that she'd be coming back eventually. Without so much as a goodbye, Lucy Heartfilia quit Fairy Tail, in hopes of travelling around Fiore to become stronger.

Loke obviously supported her in that decision, but he didn't fail to point out that it would take months, nearly a year, and it would be extremely tiring and difficult. If she worked hard and gave it all in the training, she'd be twice (maybe thrice, depending on how things would turn out) as powerful in possibly seven months. But combat training would be tough, and the spells would take long to master.

The Leo then smirked. It was _Lucy. _She was fierce and brave, beautiful and the most powerful Celestial mage that he'd ever seen – she'd become stronger in no time and he knew it.

Now, what would he do about Natsu? – was the main question in his mind. He was absolutely pissed and disappointed with the fire mage for breaking his master's heart, but if he went back and punched his teeth out, Lucy would be mad. After all, she loved the fool and she couldn't bring herself to hate him, despise his careless behavior towards her. But he still would make him pay for the emotional damage inflicted on Lucy.

Hadn't she already suffered enough? Losing her mother – her only source of love – and falling at the mercy of Jude Heartfilia, the heartless father she had to cope with, and living a dull and loveless childhood. And when she finds love and a family, they turn their backs on her?

"Give me a break, universe," Loke muttered, bitterly, "Find another toy to play with."

As expected, no answer. Not that he wanted one. Lucy was strong and she'd find a way out of this predicament. She'd overcome the sadness and she'd take training seriously. Heck, Natsu and the others might regret their actions and apologize. Either way, Lucy wouldn't let herself get beat by something like this and he knew it.

Loke ended up staying for four hours, watching over the blonde. She was a silent sleeper, only moving around ever so slightly and never making too much of a fuss. He felt a smile stretch in his lips. At least she was at peace when she slept. At least.

The hours then began to take effect on him, and he knew he had to get back. Sighing at the lack of magic, Loke stood up from the seat, ready to warp back into the Spirit world. However, before he left, a puff of smoke burst in his right, and he met blank blue eyes with a hint of worry.

"Virgo," he whispered. The pinkette bowed slowly, eyeing Lucy by the corner of her eyes.

"I see you have ran out of magic and I am here to replace you on watching the Princess," Virgo replied, emotionlessly as per usual. Though, Loke felt a tinge of distress in her words.

"Thank you, Virgo. Make sure she's not lonely," he said, and then crossed his arms, "No, scratch that. We'll _all _make sure she's never lonely again and that she wakes up to a friendly face."

Virgo didn't say anything, opting by merely nodding. Loke took the cue, and left the human world in a swirl of magic. She sat down on the cushioned seat next to the blonde, watching her sleeping face. She might be a little blank and not have as many feelings like the other spirits, but she worried about her master and would show it. She even came to the human world using her own magic and not wasting a single drop of her master's. She was enough overwhelmed as it was.

Lucy stirred, and Virgo placed a gentle hand on her forehead. Checking for colds and flus was always essencial, especially since it was January. When seeing her temperature was not changed, the maid retreated her hand and kept watching her. Her master was in pain and she was aware of it – in fact, all of her spirits were. They could feel her every fiber screaming in agony and crying in regret and sorrow. And, regardless of each other's personality (Aquarius mainly), they suffered with her and blamed themselves for not being able of helping her.

Another round of hours went by, Virgo always keeping an eye on her master. The darkness that had covered the streets for the night was slowly fading as dawn began to brighten. Just as a beam of light intruded the inside of the train, Lucy's eyes began to flicker, and slowly opened, as she calmly woke. At Virgo's intense stare however, she jolted in her seat.

"Virgo!" she hissed, surprised. She half expected Loke to be there.

"My apologies Princess, you seem quite startled," Virgo said, "Should I be punished?"

Lucy slumped her shoulders, pursing her lips and shaking her head slowly. Why did her spirits have so many weird personalities? Oh right. Because _she _was weird.

"_Sheesh, you're so weird, Lucy!"_

Lucy froze. She couldn't form any coherent thoughts as the picture of a bright grin and fathomless onyx eyes assaulted her memories, her heart going a mile an hour. Virgo seemed to notice her uneasiness, but before she could take measure, the blonde mage gritted her teeth and jumped off the seat like lightning.

"Help me with my luggage," she hissed, in a cracked tone. Virgo showed no hesitancy in obeying, though she still felt the anger and sadness seeping through her master. Yet, she let her vent out her grief alone – by grasping the handle of the suitcase harshly and stomping all the way to the departure exit.

"Attention, everyone, we will be arriving the Capital shortly. Please wait patiently and thank you for traveling with us."

Lucy sighed, leaning against the wall as Virgo came up with her other suitcase. Why did he keep popping into her head? She was trying to forget about him and her brain was _not _helping. Why did she have to constantly remember how his black eyes are so deep and his grin seems to brighten the world? How his pink hair was bristly yet soft to the touch, how mature and handsome he got when in a fight, how…

_Stop! _Lucy scolded herself mentally, _You will not think about him! You will not think about him!_

She'd been having those internal battles for a month now, and she hated them. Because, if she had them, she had been thinking of Natsu, and she promised herself to forget about him.

_He loves Lisanna and there's nothing I can do about it. I was her replacement until she came back. I was only Natsu's best friend – while Lisanna was his long lost love._

Lucy felt a pang at her heart when those words echoed in her head. She didn't want to be just his best friend, she wanted more. But she couldn't have it, so she dealt with that. There was nothing she could do about it.

"Attention, everyone. We have arrived at Crocus. Please remember to bring all of your luggage and thank you for travelling with us."

Lucy gestured at Virgo to follow her through the gates of the exit, setting foot on the station as if it was the greatest sacrifice of all mankind. She heard several people follow her out and heading for their business, the train slowly beginning to leave the station. Lucy eyed her surroundings. Plenty of people were framing her picture, the noise and different kinds of scents filling her in as she wandered away from the place. Virgo followed her quietly, the only sound shared between them being the gentle roll of the wheels her pink suitcase provided. She seemed slightly gloomy, and the maid kept silent.

After fifteen minutes of walking, Lucy and Virgo were in front of the apartment she had seen in the newspaper, back in Magnolia. It was much bigger than her old one in Strawberry Street, even if the rent was 90,000 jewel. Due to being in the capital, all houses and flats were large and spacious, consequently more expensive, but Lucy absolutely fell in love with her new home when she first laid eyes on it.

"Why you look at that!" the blonde breathed, with a trembling Plue nestled in her arms as she gawked at the bright colors decorating the room.

The apartment was mostly of white marble floor and pale brown walls, with some windows that covered the walls from ceilling to floor. The living room had a large white sofa and a plain, beige brown rug that lead to a sizeable bookshelf of a black color, two lamps dangling off the ceilling and a dark one next to a one person couch. Lucy grinned, sliding her bare feet on the slippery floor to stop in front of the shelf. She'd be able of collecting countless books – that'd leave Levy jealous.

Lucy's grin fell a little at the bluenette's name, and to regain her enthusiasm, she jumped over the glassy coffee table in the middle of the living room to explore the other corners of the apartment. The bathroom was also appealing and clean looking, with light brown walls and the same floor as the rest of the flat and a very nice looking bathtub. Separated from the living room by only a half wall of glass, was the kitchen. It was small, though modern and bright like the rest of the place, with only three gray counters and matching cupboards.

"I never knew there were such modern houses," Lucy commented. Her chin was in the air, her brown eyes staring at the square lamp that covered most of the kitchen ceilling. Virgo allowed herself a small smile at her master's happiness.

"I'm grateful for you, princess," she said. Lucy smiled at her briefly, before hopping all the way to her supposed bedroom.

Despite her mattress being the same (Loke brought it through the Spirit world), Lucy was thrilled over the size of her bedroom. It was so much wider than her old one, with a thick window just over the head of where Lucy pictured the bed. At the moment, in that wooden floor and white walled room, only her mattress decorated her space.

Lucy turned to Virgo, letting Plue jump out of her arms to nuzzle her legs.

"I was thinking… I'm going to change my style a bit," she said. Virgo nodded, taking in her current attire, the one she always wore – blonde pigtails with strands falling in front of her face and blue and white clothes.

"You are requesting my opinion… or is it my assistance?"

"Well… some of both. But I also thought that I want to change my bedroom too. It used to be all pink and girly, now I feel I should make it less childish," the blonde explained, petting Plue absent mindedly.

"I can help you find a new wardrobe style," Virgo said, her smile a little warmer. Lucy nodded, and to the maid's surprise, she wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you all for being here, helping me, supporting me," she whispered. Virgo nodded her head.

"It is our duty, Princess. And besides, we are all your friends."

Lucy bit her lip, feeling tears pool in her eyes. She nodded her head repeatedly with a huge smile, and wiped her face with a sniffle.

"Okay, enough crying," she said, and slid out of the door. Not seconds later, she was back, carrying her pair of suitcases and looking at Virgo expectantly, "Will you go shopping with me for new furniture?"

The spirit maid smiled.

* * *

Around eleven o'clock at night, Lucy was taking in the delightful sight of her furnished apartment. She and Virgo had gone shopping for countless things, such including necessary objects for her kitchen – a fridge, an oven, a coffee maker (a rather nice one), a microwave and a pale rug to just give it a touch of fashion. For the living room, a few pillows for the couch, and she had unpacked all of her books and settled them in her new generous sized bookshelf. The bathroom earned some bottles for soap and her toothbrush, and she took the chance to buy comfier towels.

Now, for her bedroom - she purchased a wardrobe of wood, disposing of her previous one due to being smaller, a white bedside table with a cute lamp coming along (white with a pattern of black lilies), a different bed, the mattress framed by white, with a matching duvet and three pillows, two of them just for show, and another rug – big to the point of brushing against the opposite wall. Needless to say, Lucy was quite satisfied with the changes.

"Now, I'm getting rid of these."

True to her words, in front of the bathroom mirror, Lucy yanked the ribbons that held her pigtails, letting golden locks fall to her shoulders. She wanted to look more mature, but at the same time she wanted to look stylish. What kind of hairdo would provide that?

A ponytail was too simple. Pigtails were out of question. Loose hair was too boring.

"Lucy-sama?" Cancer said, "Allow me, ebi."

After the work of the Crab's sophisticated hands, Lucy's eyes sparkled with awe at the marvelous work of a loose side braid, making her look more mature and beautiful. She let her fingers touch the blonde locks to her left, her mouth so tight in a grin that her cheeks hurt.

"Thank you so much, Cancer! But I can't just call you _every_ morning… can you teach me how to do this braid?"

"With pleasure, ebi."

Lucy learned that a side braid was just like a normal braid, the only difference being that she had to turn her hair to a side and braid it with softer fingers for that loose feeling. She thanked Cancer once again, allowing him to go back to the Spirit world. Clad in only her underwear, she began checking her wardrobe for the new outfit she chose.

Wanting a less childish look but with a touch of a stray fashion, Lucy decided to make a brown leather jacket and matching combat boots as her trademark accessories, along with a white dress shirt and tight jeans – yet the latter two could vary. She kept her heart earrings and her belt though. The earrings gave off her real age and besides, she liked them; the belt was an obligatory accessory, due to her keys and whip. She would never discard those.

"At least keep your cheerful character. _That's_ your trademark, Lucy."

Lucy spun on the heels of her new boots, coming face to face with Loke. As reply, she gave him her usual wide smile, and he mirrored her.

"I like the new style, though," he said, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head slowly, approvingly, "Suits you more. It shows your bravery and determination, yet with the earrings, the belt and the necklace," he gestured towards the the pink, heart shaped necklace she had purchased, "it shows you're also girly and gentle. It's nice."

"Thank you, Loke," Lucy said, and pulled at the zipper of her jacket with a grin, "That's exactly what I wanted."

The Lion grinned as well, and pulled her into a hug. Lucy let her shoulders slump, and sighed, hugging her closest spirit just as hard. His scent was soothing and enough to calm her, as he rocked them back and forth around the room.

"Thanks, Loke… you know, for being here. For your support," Lucy muttered, against his shoulder. He just hugged her tighter.

"There's nothing to thank me for, Lucy. You are my friend and I will help you, no matter what."

She nodded, before sniffling and stepping away from his chest with a hand over her nose. Through the small tears, she smiled at Loke.

"You can go back, you know. Besides, I want some time to myself…" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He nodded.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you ever need me, be it for fighting or for a shoulder to cry on," he promised, before disappearing in a puff of light.

Lucy frowned her lips, tiptoeing for the large window over her bed. It was so long that it went from the left wall to the right one, and she liked it. Tired brown eyes studied the dark landscape through the glass, taking in the tall buildings and lamps on the streets. It was nothing like Magnolia. There was no green in sight, no forests, no river across the window, no pink haired idiots grinning at her from below her with a paper slip of a mission in his hand.

She stepped back from the window, breathing in slowly. She couldn't forget about him. She couldn't forget about Natsu Dragneel or how she felt about him, and she knew it.

"For the time being," she muttered to herself, and closed her eyes, "For the time being, I can't get him out of my mind. But maybe time will help."

Maybe time would help her move on. _Maybe._

* * *

So, what'd you think of the first chapter? I know I put Lucy through a lot of changes here, but that's being realistic too. People actually do that to get over the past.

If you're interested in how I described her house, here are the links to similar stuff (without the spacing):

Living room – cdn . home – designing wp – content / uploads / 2012 / 08 /3-Modern – apartment – layout . jpg

Kitchen – www . mydecorideas wp – content / uploads / 2014 / 02 / kitchen -design – with – island . jpg

Bathroom - photos / Bathroom – Remodeling – 4 . jpg

Bedroom - bedroomkitchen wp – content / uploads / 2013 / 10 / interior – design – ideas – bedroom – 524 . jpg

Remember, I said **similar**, not that they're the same. Review please! Or I'll tell Natsu about Lucy leaving… and that you were the one that made her leave…


	2. Nightmares and Books

**Wow, I'm surprised with five reviews over a night. Thank you all so much! I'm glad people are into this story.**

* * *

Darkness. Loneliness. Fear. Fire. Heat. Pain. Horror.

"_You were never my best friend."_

She was falling in darkness, with nothing within her reach to stop it.

"_You were never welcome here."_

That voice was oddly familiar, despite being dipped in venom and disdain.

"_I could never love someone like you."_

It clicked. It was Natsu's voice. It was his voice and it came along with his flames – she was drowning in them as he spoke, her mouth ripped open in a silent scream at the acute pain.

"_I only love Lisanna. You were only her replacement. Nothing more."_

She felt the fire tear at her flesh, melting her to the bone, torturing her horridly. She could only scream, scream until her throat stung, as her heart burst in pain and sorrow at Natsu's words.

"_You mean nothing to me. You are weak, fragile, a nuisance."_

Lucy screamed yet again, her eyes burning with tears. It hurt. It hurt, both physically and mentally. She felt the fire eating her up, slowly killing her, while his words killed her from inside out.

"_I wish you were dead."_

At that point, the fire had consummed her entirely, but only her eyes remained – to torture her even more. They were staring right at another pair of savage, wild eyes, much alike to a dragon's murderous stare. Natsu's terrorizing tone was her undoing.

"_**Dead.**_"

Lucy awoke violently, screaming like a banshee. She was panting heavily, a cold sweat clinging to her skin as she tried to override the traumatizing images in her head. It was a dream, just a dream. Nothing more.

A nightmare, that is. A horrifying nightmare.

The blonde mage gulped audibly, exhaling with a hand to her pounding heart. Seeing the dim light that went through the thin curtains, she checked the hours. Half past six in the morning. As early as she guessed. She couldn't go back to sleep, not after a nightmare like that. With a sigh, Lucy stumbled out of the messy bed, rubbing her arms for heat. It was mid January, therefore cold was always around and seeping into her flesh like knives. It somewhat reminded her of Gray, minus the discomfort. He had always been a good friend to her, like an older brother.

_Too bad he ignored me too._

Lucy sighed, staring at herself in the bathroom mirror. She had been so excruciatingly tired in the previous night that she didn't bother to undo Cancer's braid. It was tousled, but she decided it looked fine as she squirmed into a red shirt and random black pants. Maybe a walk would clear her mind.

* * *

When a snowflake softly kissed her nose, Lucy was thankful for bringing a fur coat zipped all the way to her collarbone. A few inches of snow had already gathered around the city sidewalks, her footsteps echoing a squishy, crackling sound as she walked. Not only it was snowing, she could bet her keys that the temperature was below zero. Even if it snowed as well, Magnolia was warmer – in matters of temperature and hospitality. Lucy frowned at the thought, shaking her head.

After some wandering around town, breathing puffs of white, her eye caught the sign of a small coffee bar. Grateful for not forgetting her purse, she decided to go in for some breakfast. She knew she was spending an awful lot of money, knowing she had no permanent job, but she had saved quite a lot of jewel from solo missions – receiving the full reward for not _destroying stuff_. Even aware of the circumstances, Lucy giggled to herself. Team Natsu was known for that – not getting the reward for making a building explode.

"At least someone is awfully happy with this cold," came a sweet female voice from the counter.

Lucy looked up. It was woman, seemingly in her thirties, with long curly hair as blonde as Lucy's. Her eyes were of an bright blue, but they looked kind and gentle to tell off its icy hue. By the maroon apron and the name Ellia printed on the breast pocket, she guessed this woman was an employee at the café.

"Well, sort of," Lucy said, taking a seat in front of the counter. The woman named Ellia smiled gently.

"What do you feel like eating, sweetie?" she asked. Lucy smiled, feeling strangely at ease next to her.

"For now, give me some coffee and maybe some pancakes."

"Coming right up, honey."

Lucy watched her disappear behind a wooden door, and lying her chin on her palm, she studied the small café. There was a man sitting in the far corner next to the frosted window, with a newspaper bent in his hands, a woman sipping on a cup of tea – perhaps black - sporting bags under her eyes, and Lucy herself. She guessed that either it was too early for crowds or too cold for going on a walk.

"Here you go," came the waitress's voice, placing Lucy's pancakes and her coffee in front of her, "What's your name, dear?"

"Lucy," she said, and poured some maple syrup on the pancakes, taking a hungry bite afterwards. Ellia smiled, taking a seat in front of the blonde.

"That's a pretty name. What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Lucy glanced at the clock. Half past seven. She munched on her breakfast, and shrugged while sipping on the coffee. She nearly choked on the bitter taste, and Ellia smiled knowingly. Lucy laughed breathlessly as she handed her a small packet of sugar, which Lucy tore open and let its contents drop in the steaming beverage.

"I woke up an hour ago and didn't feel like sleeping more," Lucy said simply. Yet, she kind of guessed Ellia had quite the sharp senses, and noticed her slightly trembling tone.

"Something prevented you from doing so."

The statement was so innocent, yet being aware of its meaning made Lucy shudder with rekindled fright. Natsu's words echoed in her head, making her heart race and her hands tremble over the coffee mug.

"I… may have had a nightmare," Lucy whispered. Ellia was a complete stranger, a simple waitress from a café, but she felt as if that warmth in her voice and eyes was the absolute truth. No one could fake kindness that well.

"Feel like talking about it?" she asked sweetly.

Lucy took in a wavering breath, and told her everything. How she had been in Fairy Tail for nearly two years and how they started ignoring her because of Lisanna, how she felt dejected by Natsu's behavior and heart wrenching words from her nightmare, how she felt so alone and depressed for not having anyone to rely on, how she decided to leave the guild for a while to become stronger, everything. After her little story, told in whispers and slight tears, Ellia touched her hand softly, almost motherly like.

"If you had the courage to step away from the one you love most and become stronger, that proves you are also capable of surviving this pain. I may not know you, Lucy, but you seem like a very kind and capable mage," she said, patting her shoulder. Lucy felt strangely comforted by her words.

"Thanks, Ellia… and I'm sorry. You're probably tired of being a shoulder to cry on for many customers," she said. Ellia laughed, much to her surprise.

"Think nothing of it. I like making others feel better, it makes me feel good myself."

Lucy smiled. That was a good trait.

"By any chance, do you know where I can find out about this Celestial magic?"

Ellia frowned her lips, tapping her chin with her fore finger.

"You can always check in the Grand Library. Here," she began scribbling on a piece of paper, and gave it to Lucy, "That's how you can get there. There are plenty of books on magic in there, it's the largest library of the capital, if not the entire Fiore."

Lucy eyed the traces in the paper, and smiling at Ellia, she said, "Thanks! I've only been to the capital once, for the Grand Magic Games."

She placed down the fork on her now empty plate of pancakes, and donned down the rest of the coffee. Hopefully it would spike some energy off of her through the day.

"Thanks again, Ellia, and have a nice day!" Lucy said, whilst waving and stepping out into the snowy streets of Crocus. She caught a faint shadow of Ellia waving her back, before she headed for the library.

The snow had died down a bit, instead falling down fluffy balls of white occasionally. The temperature however, was persistent, and Lucy couldn't avoid crossing her arms over her chest for heat. More people were roaming the streets than earlier, for the clock had struck eight. According to the paper Ellia gave her, the library was half an hour away on foot and opened at half past seven.

"You're insane, going out with the weather like this," a male voice said, and Lucy didn't have to be a second Einstein to know it was Loke. She shrugged at his statement.

"I want to learn about Celestial magic as soon as possible, so that I can get stronger."

"Oh yeah… we gotta talk about your hand-to-hand combat training too," he said, grinning. Lucy arched an eyebrow.

"Something tells me you'll enjoy seeing me sweating and panting…" she muttered, but unfortunately Loke caught it – in both ways. His grin faded into a smirk.

"Oh, I used to long for that sight, princess," he teased, "But I'll leave that privillege to Natsu."

Lucy's face burst into every existent shade of red, and she began stammering incoherently. Loke just laughed, strolling forward to start walking while facing her.

"As if you haven't imagined it," he accused, playfully, "I bet you wrote about it."

That hit the nail in the chalkboard. Lucy felt her insides burn an odd mix of embarrassment and excitement, recalling that steamy drabble she had written about herself and Natsu. A whimsical dream, for sure. She glared at the Leo, but he merely grinned.

"You. Shut up now, kitty cat," she hissed through gritted teeth, walking faster as if to get away from him. Loke rolled his eyes, and mimicked her pace.

"Relax, Lucy, I was only joking. Even if you did write about such thing, it's none of my business," he stated, shrugging. Lucy blinked at him.

"Thanks…"

Loke smiled. They both continued the journey towards the library in silence, through the delicate snow that fell down. Lucy knew it wasn't the exact same, but it reminded her of Gray nonetheless. Her eyes became hooded, her chin lowering as the face of the Ice Make mage was bolted into her head. She missed them, her friends, her family. But they had made it clear that she no longer belonged there, and that she needed to get stronger. And get stronger she would. Maybe it was a bit of a difficult task for a celestial mage, but she was willing to try. She _wanted _to be strong. It was part of her wishlist - and she'd make this one real.

Maybe she wouldn't become as strong as Erza or Mirajane, or Natsu for that matter. But she was certain that if she tried enough, if she was patient and persistent, she'd achieve her goal. Capricorn himself said there was another type of celestial magic, and she was determined to find out. If it was any different from hers and promised what she desired, she'd work on it, all teeth and nails. It felt as if her life depended on it.

"Lucy?" Loke said, breaking her out of her reverie, "We're here."

The blonde blinked, taking notice of her surroundings. In front of her, tall and elegant, stood a building that she immediately guessed to be the library. It clearly had so many floors, and Lucy couldn't stop thinking that Levy would call this a paradise. Giggling quietly, she went inside, Loke not far behind. The lobby was wide and perfectly illuminated by dandy chandeliers, and had already quite a few people in this first section. Lucy squinted her eyes, and found what she wanted. Apparently, according to the sign on the wall, this was the History section.

Lucy stepped towards the front desk, eyeing the male clerk that typed on the computer avidly. She cleared her throat, getting his attention like she wanted.

"Good morning. Can you tell me the location of the magic section?" she asked, sweetly. Loke caught her intentions behind the overly tender tone, and would have cheered for his mistress if the circumstances were others. Instead, he rolled his eyes.

"Why yes, it's in the twenty fourth floor. Have a pleasant reading," he said, clearly astonished and charmed by Lucy. Loke grimaced his lips. Poor guy.

"Thank you!" Lucy said, and began walking towards the elevators.

Once they were both inside it and the number twenty four on the wall was pressed, Loke raised an eyebrow at his mistress. She frowned.

"What?"

"Lucy, you said you wanted to change… to be more mature and less childish. I thought that included vain attempts at seducing guys," Loke said, straightforwardly. Gladly, Lucy just sighed.

"You're right. Force of habit, I guess."

Loke frowned his lips.

"You don't have to stop if you don't want to. I was just… well."

Lucy gave him a big smile.

"No, you're right. I had thought of stopping, because I get it, it's pointless. It's pointless to seduce a guy you don't like, or don't have intentions of 'hooking up' with," she said, gesturing the quote marks, and exhaled heavily, "I have no intentions of getting a boyfriend here, especially at a time like this."

_Because the only one I want is in love with someone else._

Loke shoved his hands into his pockets, eyeing her carefully.

"You _could _get a boyfriend, you know. It'd help you take your mind off of everything," he suggested. Lucy smiled at him, but he knew it was forced.

"I want my first boyfriend to love me just as much as I love him."

_Meaning you want Natsu. The idiot loves you back Lucy, _Loke thought, but he couldn't say that out loud. Lucy and Natsu had to figure it out themselves. Though watching her suffer like this was painful.

The doors of the elevator dinged softly when they reached their destination, and both stepped out quietly. There were more people interested in the magic section than History ground floor, over the many subjects this level provided. Lucy read the countless types of magic plastered on the bookshelves – Script magic, Ice Make, Water magic… all about their origins and first steps to master them.

After roaming through the endless shelves with endless subjects (Requip magic, Heavenly body, Runes…), Lucy came to a stop, sighing. With a desperate frown, she spotted the clerk of this level, and headed for her desk.

"Excuse me… where is the celestial section?" she asked, quietly. The woman, rather rude looking with thin glasses hanging off her tiny nose, gestured at the shelf to the farthest left. Lucy nodded in gratitude, rapidly walking towards it. Loke was already there upon knowing where it was.

"A-ha," he hissed, tapping a certain dark blue leathered book. Lucy went on tiptoes to get it, sliding it off its slot and eyeing the cover with narrowed eyes.

It read _Holder Magic: Celestial Sorcery_. Lucy settled on a chair nearby, pulling out her Gale-Force reading glasses and opening the book. Loke saw the pages fly freely as the magic of the ornaments took place, Lucy's face going from determined, to curious, confused, and then disappointed. In a matter of minutes, the book was closed, and she sighed.

"Nope. This is all things I know, how many spirits there are, the matter of the Zodiac Keys, how contracts must be made, you know the drill," she explained, and after sliding the book back into its slot, Loke caught another one entitled _Stellar Magic and its Properties._

"How about this one?"

Lucy grabbed the book, reading it through her glasses. Once again, she sighed. It was also about Spirit Keys, though it developed a little more in the Zodiac ones and explained their strong points and weaknesses. Closing the thick book gently, she shook her head. Loke sighed, searching for another that might talk more about what they wanted.

Lucy spent exactly three hours in that library, searching for books and asking about matters of celestial magic that talked about things she didn't already know. Eventually, she dismissed Loke, not wanting to waste anymore of her magic force, instead roaming the different sections alone.

She was beginning to lose hope already. Most of the books she found talked about the Zodiac keys and their abillities, and Lucy needn't more knowledge in that department. She knew everything about her beloved spirits, therefore all of the books she would find were useless. With a disgruntled groan, she slid back yet another disappointing book, named _The Twelve Zodiac Gates and their Mysteries._ There were no so called mysteries in those pages – Lucy was already familiar with everything written in that book.

"Psst."

Lucy frowned, glancing over her shoulder. Must have been her imagination.

"Over here, Lucy," a male voice said. She fully turned on her heels, startled as to why this person knew her name, but gasped at who she met.

"Hibiki!" she breathed, approaching the Archive mage. He smiled, a thick book in his hands.

"You've been going back and forth in the Celestial section. What are you searching for?"

Lucy bit her lip slightly. Hibiki was quite the intelligent guy, maybe he'd know something.

"I'm researching on Celestial magic, to see if there's more to it than what I already know," she said, "Do you know something? I mean, you did teach me Urano Metria."

Hibiki frowned, leaning on a table with a thoughtful gleam in his blue eyes as he crossed his arms. After a few seconds, he looked back at her with a mysterious expression, smiling.

"There's nothing good in this floor, Lucy," he said, and then leaned forward, whispering in her ear, "You should check the restricted section."

Lucy widened her eyes, nervous at the close contact he made. Hibiki just smiled, walking away from her quietly. She frowned at him, over her shoulder.

"Good luck."

She warily nodded, watching his back disappear behind a tall bookshelf.

_I guess that's expected from a Blue Pegasus, _she thought, _But hold the phone, did he say restricted section?_

Lucy crossed her arms loosely, eyeing a certain door by the corner of her eyes. She would be breaking the rules by doing so, if she managed to get through unnoticed by that grim looking woman. Well, Hibiki did say this floor had nothing, and she was beginning to see that by the generous amounts of books she picked up and only to be disappointed with their contents.

Lucy saw the woman get up from behind the desk and head for the bathroom not far away, as if it was a sign sent from the heavens. She looked around the area, seeing most of the people either engrossed in their reading or simply too busy to care. With that as encouragement, the celestial mage silently went for the closed door, and with her heart pounding and sudden rush of adrenaline, she found herself inside the small room, the door strictly closed behind her back.

Lucy clicked her tongue, already stepping forward to scan the two shelves in the room. Since when did she obey the rules, anyway?

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**Naughty Lucy. Sneaking into that section like that… what do you think she'll find there? I'm curious to your perspective. Review and include your guesses!**


	3. The Caster Side of Celestial Magic

**I'm kind of disappointed… not many people tried to guess. Oh well, enjoy the secrets revealed and (of course) the chapter.**

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Lucy's eyes gleamed as she studied the old and dusty books on the shelves. No wonder why these were in the restricted section – they were all about Lost magic. And despite Arc of Time and Embodiment, Dragon Slayer magic was its main topic. A frown took over her face.

"What I want is…" she whispered, and then a wave of relief and joy washed over her when she spotted what she so longed for, "Here we go!"

Her hand now held a massive book with a dark blue color, entitled _Celestial Magic: Origins._ Hopefully this one would give her information that suited her desires. She quietly slid down to the cold floor, face buried in the dusty pages as she read the mysterious book.

_Celestial magic is often referred as Holder magic, with special keys that call forth spirits to fight or fulfill whatever needs you might have._

Lucy was starting to frown at the repeated information, and was about to groan in frustration - if the following paragraph hadn't caught her attention.

_However, most mages are oblivious to the real potential of celestial magic. Most celestial mages are Holder mages with said powerful keys that open gates from the Spirit World, but there is a Caster side to celestial magic. A side which does not involve the aid of celestial spirits, but instead allows the magic power within the mage to run free by their own hands._

"This is it!" Lucy hissed, now fully focused on the book.

_One of the Caster sides to celestial magic is the Ultimate magic of the Stars, its most known spell named _Urano Metria._ Yet due to this Caster side being affilliated with stars from other galaxies, there are minor spells involving certain constellations, even if weak._

_There are many celestial spells, existent and manoeuvrable, and most mages are unaware – the only family that has ever mastered every stellar enchantment is the Heartfilia family._

Lucy felt her eyes grow wide. Her family was the only one that had ever mastered the Caster side of celestial magic? Why hadn't she been told of this? Her mother must have known about this and didn't tell her… perhaps because Lucy was far too young to hear her out. Or maybe Layla Heartfilia knew her daughter would somehow discover it.

_The Holder side of celestial magic is the easiest to master, but the Caster side requires the mage to invoke magic by their own hands, _if _capable of understanding the contents and concept of their own magic – this is why the Heartfilias were the only ones known for having this abillity, they were exceptionally cunning and intelligent, thus able of deciphering the codes within themselves and becoming one with the enchantment._

_The most important and powerful spells in the celestial magic are afilliated with the Solar System, and each has an element of its own._

"Who's there?"

Lucy gasped quietly when hearing the clerk's rough voice. She hadn't read the whole book yet, and she needed to know about this Solar System concept. Nervous with the woman's approach, she scanned the shelves quickly, roaring inwardly in triumph when her hand came in contact with a slim book, named _Solar System: The Eight Grand Spells._ Now, about escaping.

"Follow meh, miss Lucy," a deep voice said, and the blonde lifted her chin.

"Capricorn!"

The humanoid goat walked steadily into a darker zone of the small room, and a flash of light filled her vision as he opened an almost invisible door. Lucy glanced at the shadow of the woman behind the door, before hurrying through the new door with Capricorn not far behind. Soon, she was going down the stairs, through the dark, the two books tucked in her arms as she and Capricorn fled the library. The Spirit kicked the back door open for her, and she ran out, the light shining down on them. Lucy felt so bad for stealing from a library, from stealing _books, _but those were tecnically hers. She was a Heartfilia, after all, and if the books said she belonged to the only family that had mastered Celestial Caster magic, she had the right to own them. Though, she new Levy would be disappointed with her.

"Ugh… thanks, Capricorn," she huffed, bent over to catch her breath.

"It is my duty, miss Lucy," he answered curtly.

They were both in what seemed one of the gardens of Crocus, and Lucy was thankful for the nearby bench as she plopped down on it. Brown eyes gleaming, she eyed the covers of the two books she had snatched, reopening the one she had been reading.

_The Eight Grand Spells of the Solar System are extremely powerful spells, difficult to master if your lineage does not belong to the Heartfilia family tree. Each of the spells have a proper element, and these spells involve the core of the element, not just properties of it. For example, if one spell belongs to the element Water, the caster, if experienced enough, may create water and use it to extensive levels – enough to create tsunamis and even lift an entire ocean._

_There is a very rare advantage to these spells – due to being used to borrow magic from the universe above, the caster's magic vessel remains full. None of its magic is wasted._

Lucy never felt more astonished. Magic spells that didn't use a single drop of her _own _magic?

"Is this true?" she said, turning the book for Caprico to read it. He gave her a small smile.

"Yes, miss Lucy. You master the eight spells, you become invincible."

Lucy felt her jaw drop. _I'll become even more powerful than Natsu… or even Erza._

"I don't see how that's possible…" she breathed. He nodded in understanding.

"But it is, miss Lucy. The Heartfilias are the only ones capable of doing this – of requiring elemental magic from the rulers of the Universe. But, you will read about it in the other book," he said, and then pointed at the slim orange book, "The eight Grand spells are just what you need for enhancing your magic knowledge, miss Lucy."

Lucy followed his advice, placing down _Celestial Magic: Origins _and slowly spreading the smaller book open. She came face to face with the index, which listed off eight names: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

"As you can see, Miss Lucy, each spell is attached to the eight planets of our galaxy," Capricon explained, as Lucy flipped the page. The first one was Mercury.

"_Aestus Mercurius, _the Fire spell. This spell is related to the element of Fire, and the caster is capable of controlling it in any possible way, be it for fighting or for the user's benefit," she read aloud, and glanced at Capricorn, "So, if I master this spell, I can control fire?"

"You _create _it and control it. You borrow the element to use it for your benefit, without paying any cost. That is, if miss Lucy trains hard – if you work hard enough, your attacks will be exceptional."

"Like… like Natsu's Secret Dragon Slayer Art?" Lucy questioned quietly. To her pleasure, Capricorn nodded.

"More, miss Lucy. Perhaps this spell can even match the magic vessel of fire within Natsu Dragneel's body."

The blonde returned her attention to the pages.

_For beginners, Aestus Mercurius_ _simply creates flames – but when exceptionally concentrated and to the point of mastering this spell, the caster can enhance the flames and use them however they see it fit. They borrow this element from the holy Hephaestus – when upon enchanting its sacred words, with body and soul concentrated, you perform a contract with the God of Fire. The only difference is that this holy spirit requires no celestial key, instead the call of his caster._

"To put it basically," Caprico began, "When you've managed to balance your thoughts and soul, you must read these words aloud, and Hephaestus will come to you. After you've contracted with him, the only thing you need to do in combat is shout out _Aestus Mercurius _and fire is at your mercy."

"I'm going to see a god with my own eyes?!" she exclaimed, in disbelief. Caprico showed mild bemusement at her reaction.

"If you weren't a Heartfilia, it would take you decades to gain the gods' trust. But, since they know of your heritage, they must all be eagerly waiting for you to start working on the grand spells, so that they can come in contact with you."

"So, Loke was right? It'll take me a year?"

"That depends, Miss Lucy. If you train hard, you might just reach eight months. Each month for each spell," he said.

Lucy leaned on the back of the seat with a thoughtful expression. This was a gigantic leap. If she had known about the grand spells of the Solar System before, she would be a lot stronger than nowadays. Not to mention that this kind of magic involved contracts not with spirits, but with _gods. _Lucy had always been a bit more of agnostic when it came to these sorts of beliefs, but if what Caprico said she'd be changing her mind in no time. This magic sounded difficult, risky and positively dangerous.

"I'll do it," she blurted. Caprico smiled, nodding appreciatively.

"I will give you a brief explanation on how you will study this magic," he started, and Lucy joined him down on the grass and flowers, brown eyes practically bulging with enthusiasm, "First of all, meditation. You did this when you trained for the Grand Magic Games, Miss Lucy. Balance your mind, reach out for your soul."

It took her about ten seconds to realize he wanted her to do what he was saying, and setting her legs into a crossed position, she closed her eyes. Immediately her senses went on high alert, while her body relaxed as she took shallow breaths, slowly and tentatively. Her ears caught the soft rustles of the leaves nearby, the faint noises coming from the perky side of the city, the occasional birds, everything.

"Miss Lucy," Capricorn called, sternly yet quietly. The blonde re-opened her eyes, staring up at the goat curiously. He continued, "This magic sounds complicated, no?"

"Yes."

"Well then, you mustn't worry. The book implies it to be difficult for the ones that don't belong to the Heartfilia family tree. Therefore, there are steps you will follow."

Lucy leaned forward, fully caught in his words. Capricorn however, shook his head, much to her confusion.

"Today we merely meditate, miss Lucy. You must do so every morning, in order to gather your magic and perceive it," he explained, and dropped his tone to a whisper, "You have a lot of potential. I can feel, just as we all spirits can, the level of your magic. You will make it."

She nodded slowly, and took it as a cue to begin meditating again. She refocused on the nature around her, the faint clatter of shoes that briefly went by, the voices coming from her surroundings, her own breathing, her heartbeat… it amazed her – the sounds a human could pin point if focused enough.

But then an unwanted image struck her, filled with dark onyx eyes and toothy grins.

Lucy yelped, breaking the process. Her body snapped back to its usual, due to being glowing a bright light not a few seconds ago. She had her cocoa eyes wide and hurt all of a sudden, her lips parted in a silent cry and shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

"Miss Lucy," Capricorn called. His voice held a tinge of worry.

"He's not even letting me become stronger," she murmured, more to herself than to answer her spirit. Her head hung low, loose braid dangling over her shoulder, with blonde strands over her eyes in a dark manner.

No doubt of it, she was sure she looked pitiful. But she wanted to look strong – she wanted to look something like 'Hey, guess what Natsu? You ditched me, but I'm as strong as steel!'. That was nothing like how she looked. A sigh escaped her lips.

"How am I supposed to forget him?" she mumbled.

How was she supposed to forget her first friend? The one that showed her freedom? The one that brought her to Fairy Tail, that protected her, cared for her… until Lisanna came back from the dead, that is. Was is going to be like that in every attempt she made at happiness? She hoped not.

"You don't."

Lucy snapped her jaw up at the new voice. Loke was on his feet behind the sitting Capricorn, and for once he wasn't wearing his tinted shades. He held concern, yet kindness and determination in his dark eyes. The blonde frowned at his answer.

"I don't?"

"You don't forget Natsu, that's a fact," he said, smiling, "It's impossible, given how you feel for him. But what you can do is smile for his happiness, and become stronger in order to move on."

Though saying those words were a bit of an outrage for Loke (he still believed strongly that Natsu harbored the same feelings for his mistress), he had to restore Lucy's belief in herself. And upon seeing her large smile and pink cheeks, he reckoned he did a good job.

"That's the first valid advice I've gotten in a while, Loke," she said, standing up from the grass and brushing off the snow on her knees, "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome, my princess," he said, smirking. Lucy's eye twitched.

"Please don't, I already deal with Virgo too much."

Loke chuckled, seemingly disregarding her request. Lucy rolled her eyes, but followed him away from the garden with crossed arms. Capricorn saluted her briefly, before going back to the Spirit world. A frown assaulted her face when Loke placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Wha-?"

"I'm taking you to the forest in the outskirts of Crocus," he said, and before Lucy had the chance to reply, her head was already swirling in nausea, a burst of colors dancing in her sight.

It was a matter of seconds before her feet touched the ground again, but her head was spinning and she had to take hold of Loke's arm.

"What… the heck was that?" she questioned, after capable of putting two words together.

"It's a way of transportation. Instead of bringing you to the Spirit Realm and _then _the forest, I brought us directly there," he explained, but frowned his lips amusingly, "Or here, if you prefer."

Lucy managed to steady herself, stepping back from Loke's chest. Indeed, she was now surrounded by handfuls of snowy trees, smelling the nature and faintly hearing birds chirping. Her eyes widened in wonder.

"I never knew there was a forest in the capital," she commented, lifting her head to study the pinnacle of silvery white that mildly blocked the sky.

"Not quite in the capital," Loke said, "Just near it. Your mood is best when in nature, did you know that?"

"Huh, no. I never really left Magnolia..."

He dismissed the melancholic tone and took a seat on the frosty grass, patting his side. Lucy smiled, and tore her attention away from the little nest of birds in a tree branch.

"What's the name of this forest?" she asked while plopping down on the ground.

"It doesn't have a specific name, so it's mostly called just Forest Groove," he said, "Not many people know this forest, but the ones that do always say it's the best place to strenghten your magic vessel. I think it has to do with the amount of nature in this place."

"If it has that much nature how big is this forest?"

"Not very big. You could say it's a compact forest: all good stuff in so little space," Loke joked. Lucy giggled, standing to her feet.

"I still maintain what I said, Lucy."

The blonde quirked an eyebrow, her hands casually behind her back.

"What you said?"

"About Natsu loving you back."

_Ouch. Talk about party pooper, _Lucy thought, caught off guard. She did her best to look uninterested, taking long and bouncy steps around the snow. Loke obviously knew her strategy.

"Maybe you don't want to talk about it, but at least hear me out," he said, "For the time I've known Natsu, he didn't give a damn about girls. He treated them as normal friends and never got too close to one, except for Lisanna. But even that isn't enough to change my opinion – the way he looks at her isn't the same he looks at _you._"

"I know," she answered, quietly, "He looks at her like she's a _girl. _He looks at me like I'm _weird._"

"_No, _Lucy, he looks at you with the uttermost care. When you're not looking, and when I'm around, I notice how he looks at you – with fierce pride, and a visible urge to protect you at any costs. I've never seen him act like that."

"Yes, he protects me, but he doesn't aknowledge me as a girl," Lucy retorted, now fully engrossed in a strange wild flower sprouting off the milky snow.

"About that, I have no comments," Loke said, torn between amusement and surprise, "But I've seen that look before. That look in his eyes, screaming 'I love her'. I know that look."

"Personal experience?" she teased, her tone overy innocent. However, she didn't expect Loke to gain a gentle look and a gracious smile.

"Perhaps."

Lucy didn't have to be a genius to know he was talking about Aries. She had seen the way they acted around each other, and they were her spirits. She just knew. A smile went up her lips before she could even notice, giving an eyeful at Loke. He rolled his eyes, but his smile made the whole purpose of seeming aloof worthless.

"The point is, he loves you. Maybe he hasn't realized it himself, but he does."

Lucy hummed silently with the Leo's opinion. The conversation was cut to a stop as she gathered the information, hearing birds and leaves rustling softly in the wind. After a while, she found herself closing her eyes and enjoying the presence of nature, ignoring the gooseflesh provoked by the cold on her bare neck.

"Then I'll just wait until he does."

Her voice was quiet and gentle, but Loke heard it nonetheless. Pleased with her resolve, the spirit smiled, and got himself up from the ground.

"Why did you bring me here, anyway?" Lucy inquired, bringing her attention to him with a raised eyebrow. Loke smirked, crossing his arms.

"Why, for training, of course."

* * *

**WOOOOO, training begins now! Watch it Luce, Loke's not exactly a weak fighter.**

**AAAND we got new celestial magic! Okay, I made all of that up, Hiro Mashima holds no rights to my ideas, just as I don't hold rights to his awesome characters.**

**Review, my beloved ones…**


	4. Becoming Stronger

**Wow, nearly thirty reviews! I'm proud, so this chapter is going to be interesting...**

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Lucy hissed when feeling the ground brutally collide with her back. It was the fifth time Loke was able to dodge her attacks and knock her out of his way, and she had to be honest – it was pissing her off.

"I'm starting to regret this," she panted, rising from the ground quite shakily.

Loke lifted a brow at the sight of his mistress. She wore a sleeveless white shirt and a pair of mid thigh leggings, both ripped at some spots and dirtied with sweat and nature fluids. Her usually luscious blonde hair now had a touch of disgrace, held in a messy ponytail with rebellious strands falling to her face. However, despite the exhausted exterior, her chocolate brown eyes literally _begged _Loke to come at her with everything he had. She was truly brave.

The snow had melted after three days, allowing the vivid green of the Forest Groove to break free in its enchanting beauty and biodiversity. However, the chilly winds of January were very much alive and nipping at their skins like human nails made of ice.

"No turning back now, Lucy," he began, while preparing another attack at her, "You said you wanted to become stronger! _This _isn't stronger!"

Lucy barely missed his hand, grimacing with irritation. He was ticking her off on purpose. She remembered the sequence, breathing in as quick as she could when seeing his upcoming hand. Left. Right. Below. Right. Left. Right. Below. Left. It was leaving her breathless and gasping for air like an asthmatic kid, but she kept it up. She had to be strong.

"Think about it: when we're done, you'll be able to take on everyone," Loke encouraged, and twirled on his feet when Lucy attempted a punch at him.

"If I ever land a punch on your damned cat face!" Lucy growled. As an answer to her wishes, Loke was caught off guard when her knuckles made a loud _crack _against his jaw. The Leo groaned slightly.

"You've always had devilish punches," he breathed, "Or kicks for that matter."

The blonde replied by handing him her infamous 'Lucy Kick!', which sent him a generous distance away. Lucy still winced when he hit the ground and slithered on the dirt. His white shirt was a mess and his coat was long gone.

"You're actually getting good," he complimented, and smirked, "Not bad for just three days."

"I guess I am," she jumped on him before he could even blink, tackling him to the ground, "a fast learner!"

He grinned, and expertly pushed her away from him, resulting in making her fly onto a tree trunk. Lucy hissed, landing on her knees with her back throbbing, but with an eye shut and gritted teeth, she launched at him with her fists and gave him a tasteful punch to the cheek. The fighting soon took its original pace: Left. Right. Below. Right. Left. Right. Below. Left. It went on for a while, before Lucy managed to kick him with a dominant scream and Loke rolled down in the grass with a bleeding mouth. Lucy herself had cuts and bruises from fighting to exhaustion, but they only egged her on.

"You are, indeed, a fast learner," Loke commented, rubbing his jaw and wiping away the blood with the sleeve of his shirt. The white stained with pale scarlet, but he paid it no mind.

"It's because you're a good teacher," Lucy said, smiling as she positioned herself in a fighting stance. He laughed at her compliment, mirroring her.

"Fair enough."

To his surprise, her foot was within his reach not a second after, kicking his jaw and sending him flying. At first, Lucy had been a little unsure about training. She didn't like to think she'd be hurting her spirits, but after a long and persuading discussion with Loke, he finally managed to convince her. As he rubbed his sore chin, Loke realized this might be a lot more painful than he had expected.

"Now _I'm _starting to regret this," he mumbled, a little grumpy. Lucy snorted quite audibly.

"Why, you think I might become better than you?" she taunted. Loke cursed himself for not noticing her incoming punch, stopping her knuckles from landing on his face at the last second.

"Something like that," he said, smirking.

"So," Lucy began, restarting their routine. Left. Right. Below. Right. Left. Right. Below. Left, "What's the deal with you and Aries?"

Loke was a bit caught off guard, breaking their rhythm momentarily. Lucy took the chance to attempt a kick to his left calf, but he was fast and pinned her to the ground instead. He grinned down at her, which she responded by pouting and glaring.

"I was half expecting one of your attempts to seduce me right now," she commented.

"To answer your question, I cannot do that anymore," he said, but then winked, smirking, "Why, do you want me to keep doing it?"

"Ugh, no."

"Figures."

He lifted himself off the ground, stretching a hand to help a kneeling Lucy. She took it, and he missed the unusual glint she had in her eyes. Might he have seen it, he'd probably be able of stopping her from pulling him down and kneading between his legs in a violent and not so pleasant way.

"OW! Lucy!" he groaned, bent over as she stood up with a huff.

"That's what you get for seducing someone other than Aries."

To her surprise and possibly joy, Loke breathed a laugh.

"Rephrase: Fair enough," he panted. The blonde smiled.

As the ginger haired Leo staggered up from the ground, Lucy eyed the woods, feeling strangely at peace. She couldn't be at home. Even though she lived somewhere else, and the aura and smell were different, her mind still liked to drift off to a certain pair of remarkable onyx eyes and a toothy grin that warmed her days. In order to distract herself from her overflowing feelings towards Natsu and how she deeply missed Fairy Tail, she trained with Loke and Capricorn to the exhaustion. Loke was a bit skeptical at first, but allowed her to give out her very best. After all, she did want to become stronger. And he would help her.

"I somehow knew about your feelings," she started, a little dozed off, "About Aries, I mean."

"Well, you _are _our mistress. It's only normal for you to sense our feelings, as we sense yours," Loke explained, still a little confused as to where she was staring intently at.

Lucy seemed surprised when he said the latter.

"So, you can all feel…?" she trailed. Loke didn't like how her voice was raspy and quiet.

"Unfortunately."

She stared at what Loke still failed to pin-point, and let blissful silence wash over them. She was suffering, he was well aware of it. Stars, he just wanted to march back to Fairy Tail and knock Natsu's teeth off. The idiotic dragon. Loke had never seen someone so clueless.

"It's nice that, even through suffering, there's still beauty in this world," Lucy whispered, and Loke finally made out what she was staring at.

A sparrow. It was bouncing on the grass, occasionally flying further to the side. Loke glanced at his mistress, only to smile. Lucy was kneeling on the green, stretching her hand hesitantly with that kind, signature smile of hers. The little bird tilted its head curiously, heading towards her slowly. It was to Lucy's elation that he actually jumped onto her fingers, and allowed her to get up while he was bending over her palm.

"The world provides enough distractions," Loke said, smiling at the scene. Lucy smiled at him over her shoulder, and raised her arm up in the air. The sparrow took the cue, and stretched its little wings, flying away into the deep blue of the skies.

"Okay, how about a break? You need a shower," he said, bluntly. Lucy pouted.

"Thanks for telling me I stink."

"Well, your life stinks at this moment."

"Well, fuck you too."

Loke burst out laughing.

"I'd rather have Aries, though I'll be more than happy to satisfy your needs, Princess," he winked, much to her displeasure.

"Good g…" she sighed, and laughed, "Old habits die hard."

She breathed in, appreciating the warm breeze momentarily. This forest was like her sanctuary. Even without Loke or any of her spirits, she'd come here to either explore or read a book as she leaned against a tree. So far, she had discovered a breathtaking clearing, perfect for relaxing and working on her novel.

Speaking of novel, the one she had originally started with was thrown to the bin. It was romantic and not a very good one, so Lucy opted by starting another one. The new novel was, according to Loke and Virgo (who had peeked at one of the chapters), so much better and intringuing. It was about a princess who longed for freedom, and one day, her kingdom was destroyed and she was forced to run away. In her journey, she is flabbergasted to meet a dragon, who revealed to be a half-breed of a human and a dragon. He is the one that helps her fit in the wild and teaches her how to defend herself.

Of course, Loke immediately noticed the similarities between her story and her life, but she knew he kept silent to not make her sad. He had nothing to worry though – she was well aware of it. Needless to say, she also didn't have a lot of inspiration lately. The part she was stuck in was too cheerful for her current situation.

Therefore, most of her attempts for distraction did roundabouts in training. With Loke, she'd fight and exercise until her muscles and bones shrieked in pain. It was working, even if it had only been a few days. Her reflexes were getting faster and her strength was increasing, to the point of being able to briefly knock down Loke. And he was an expert in martial arts, per se. If he went down on purpose and she found out, he'd go back to the spirit world with bruises and after an earful from her. She did _not _want to win – she wanted to fight. To become stronger.

When it came to training with Capricorn, it was the polar opposite of what she did with Loke. She'd meditate for hours, lost in her own vessel of magic as she stabillized her power and balanced her mind. Lucy felt her magic, her energy rippling through her body – Capricorn had been right, she had more power than she was aware of. And she planned on bringing it out. She hadn't started training the grand spells yet, but according to the Goat, she was ready, if she was willing to take that step.

"You're going to train with Capricorn, right?" Loke questioned, bringing her feet back to the ground. Lucy nodded.

"I think I'm going to start on one of the grand spells today," she commented. He seemed rather pleased at this information.

"Expect me as your audience. I really want to know how it works, never heard of those spells before, and trust me, I'm a an immortal spirit, and I'm _old_."

Lucy snorted, smirking slightly.

"Oh god, one of my best friends is super old. Gross."

Loke pouted playfully, "It's this super old and gross man that protects you when you're in a pinch."

She grimaced. He did have a point there.

"Alright, fine, fifty points for the _hot_ lion," she teased, rolling her eyes. He grinned.

"Lucy admitted I'm hot! What's happening next, mosquitos drinking cappuccinos?" he said, grasping his hair dramatically. Lucy hit him in the shoulder, albeit laughing loudly.

"Don't push it, cat."

* * *

Lucy squealed when her foot slipped on the marble tub as she tried to step out of her shower. Maybe she was a bit more sore than she originally presumed. Her calves and back hurt as she moved out of the slippery basin, a grimace drawn in her face at the pain. Exercising had its consequences, and she was paying the price.

After untying the knots in her shoulder muscles, the blonde dried herself off with her turquoise towel and tiptoed to her bedroom to get dressed, cursing the cold that quickly seeped into her flesh. She came out with her pink hair dryer in her hands, wearing – other than her new trusty combat boots and brown leather jacket – a flared black skirt, black stockings and a cotton sweater. Even though she quit the blue outfit, she still kept _some _of he usual attire. She decided to stop wearing so many low necklines and frilly skirts. To tell the truth, she didn't like them anymore.

As she turned the blow dryer one, she nibbled on the inside of her mouth. She'd been doing that a lot, as a stress reliever. Better than biting her nails, and less filthy.

"My life sucks right now, huh, Plue?" she muttered, over the windy noise of the dryer.

"Pun, pun," he said, as if sadly agreeing. Lucy's lips twitched in a split second smile, before her face regained a nostalgic and gloomy expression. Ever since she'd left Fairy Tail and Natsu, she looked a lot more like that. She did try to put on a smile, for Loke and her spirits, but she was still sad and she couldn't deny it.

Sighing, Lucy turned off the dryer and began brushing her hair to braid her new trademark hairstyle. With quick and soft fingers, her hair was done and hanging loosely to her left shoulder, and spinning on her heels while grabbing a wool knitted scarf, Lucy left her spacious apartment for the second time that day. She wasn't too worried about Loke's whereabouts, he was probably already outside her apartment to take her back to the Forest Groove or still getting ready in the spirit world.

The mage smiled when Plue hopped the stairs with her, slightly dancing in her steps to mimick him and brighten her mood. The little dog kept dancing out of the building, and Lucy skipped two steps with a happy jump. A laugh escaped her lips before she could stop it, but she paid it no mind. She liked being entertained like this.

_If Natsu was here_… he'd probably blink confusedly at her, shake his head and grin her _that _grin, calling her weird. Even through the unwanted memories, even through the sharp pain her chest felt, Lucy laughed at the picture in her head.

"Pun!" Plue squealed, excitedly, like he was approving of her smile. It only made her smile widen.

"Thank you, Plue," she said, scooping him in her arms, "And thank you, all of my spirits, for the support."

The latter came as a whisper, barely audible over the wind and loud voices from the passersby. However, a sudden warmth coming from her right side of her belt implied she had been heard and aknowledged. Spotting a tuft of ginger over the crowd, Lucy waved at Loke, walking towards him quickly.

"Feeling refreshed?" he asked, smiling as he stretched his hand.

"What do you think?" she deadpanned. She took his hand in hers, holding Plue with her left arm, before that faint sensation of nausea dawned on her and brought her back to their trusty forest. Except, they arrived at a colorful meadow, fanning with the wind and calling out to her with its vivid colors.

"This is beautiful," Lucy breathed, releasing his hand while regaining her sense of balance. Loke smiled.

"Virgo somehow found it," he explained, and tried to walk through the grass without stepping over the flowers.

Lucy decided to follow him, closing Plue's gate for knowing the second half of her usual training started now. When Loke stopped walking, she was standing not far from Capricorn, who sat down on the green with crossed legs. Taking the cue, Lucy slid to the ground, mimicking his position.

"Good afternoon, miss Lucy," he greeted, smiling. She retrieved the kindness.

"How are things, Capricorn?" she asked. The Goat twitched his lips half heartedly.

"I believe I should be asking you that question, miss Lucy."

She didn't have to turn around to see Loke's knowing look. She merely frowned her lips at Capricorn, straightening her back.

"I'm alive."

Loke chuckled darkly.

"Not thanks to Natsu."

Lucy glared at him over her shoulder, which Loke took as a warning to shut up for the rest of the session. He mimicked a seal over his lips, and Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Shall we start?" Capricorn questioned. She nodded, "Very well. Open your mind, Miss Lucy, seek for your inner magic like never before."

Lucy obliged, immediately getting lost in the soothing feeling of her power breaching inside her body. She learned to ignore the whistles of the winter wind, latching onto particular things like her own breathing, the feel of grass and petals kissing her clothed legs, Loke shifting from one foot to another. If she concentrated enough, she'd hear more. Capricorn had said it – she was getting very good. This kind of concentration she was reaching now was nothing compared to the amount she struggled with in her training for the Grand Magic Games of the previous year. Now, she pictured her magic into solid, like Caprico had always advised. Lucy's mind began filling up with spectacular images of starry galaxies, sparkling stars, unknown planets… it all boiled in her mind and soul.

Loke raised his brow, impressed. Lucy's body was gleaming white, with a speck of golden, as she meditated. The pair of golden strands framing her face swayed violently in the wind, along with the red plaid scarf clinging to her neck. Never had she looked so focused, so mature. She had clearly grown up. She _was _turning eighteen this year. Her goal to become stronger would definitely be achieved.

Suddenly, Lucy gasped, tilting her chin and chest up as the glow erupting from her body became brighter, to the point of blindness. At first, she seemed to be in pain, but then the glow slowly faded into an emerald shade that matched the grass she sat on perfectly. Her closed eyes squeezed, and then opened. Both Capricorn and Loke widened their eyes at the sight.

Much like Urano Metria, only somehow different, a luminous and circular pattern endowed her chocolate eyes, glowing light green. Loke found himself lost in mirages of forests, rivers, woods, mountains, flowers, animals and many more as he stared into her shining eyes, entranced by the magic. The pattern itself resembled the continents of planet Earth, along with the celestial symbols and magic characters.

A generous amount of time passed by before her eyes faded back into normal, but the glow still hovered on her. Lucy blinked, frowning.

"What just happened?" she whispered, quietly.

Much to her surprise, Capricorn smiled, looking amazed.

"This is quite surprising to be happening so soon, but you are apparently stronger than we expected," he said. Lucy blinked.

"Still don't get it."

Loke grinned, kneeling next to the blonde. He looked… proud.

"This," he gestured to the green glow, "is trying to tell you that you're ready to learn the first grand spell, the Earth spell."

Lucy's eyes widened like a pair of saucers, just as Capricorn placed the Eight Grand Spells manual on her hands. As if reacting to the glow, the manual instantly opened, flipping pages at the speed of sound, before stopping abruptly at a green decorated section. The letters of the title gleamed, to beckon her.

Sano Terram.

That was the name of the first grand spell. Lucy gripped the manual tightly in her hands, reading the contents with squinted eyes.

_The healing spell. Earth has the essence of life, of beauty and strength, therefore it is given to its mother element, Earth. It can heal any type of wounds, bruises or poison, majorly the caster's own injuries, and if the mage is powerful enough, it can bring corpses back to life. This is the first spell a celestial mage must attempt to dominate before all other seven grand spells._

Lucy was super impressed. She would be able to heal herself? Heal others? Bring people _back to life_? It all sounded so incredibly hard to believe, but the power and glow emanating from her body said otherwise. She could feel it – her body was begging her for this.

"Alright. Step one ready to be concluded," she joked. Loke smirked.

When she said those words, the paragraph imprinted on the other page caught her attention by glowing green. Scanning the contents with her eyes, she turned to Capricorn in confusion.

"What's this?"

"Those are the words you must read aloud to begin mastering Sano Terram. Each spell has their own."

Lucy nodded, standing to her feet with a fierce expression. With a deep breath and a soothing embrace from the wind, she began chanting the words that had her body glowing in an even brighter green.

"_Open the gates to life, close the gates to death,_

_In all your kindness and love, I bind my soul with Earth,_

_To heal loved ones, to save lives at risk,_

_To master the art and element of Cure,_

_And search within the depths of the mystery of Life, _

_Be it on rational, be it on irrational,_

_I summon the abillity to maneuver infinite healing…_

_Oh holy Asclepius, must you be kind,_

_To allow my possession over your power and call it forth,_

_SANO TERRAM!"_

The familiar pattern overtook her eyes once again, and her world exploded in light and _green_.

* * *

**WE GOT THE EARTH SPELL, MODAFOCAS. Lucy is going to be one bad-a in my fic... expect awesomeness folks.  
**

**Reviews, I beg you _reviews..._**


	5. Realization

**And now… the answer to everyone's wish…**

**FAIRY TAIL, NATSU. ENJOY, KITTIES!**

**(READ THIS!)**

**A little side note: blumenwiese made a fair point in timeline. (about Jude's last name, it'll be explained later), so I changed some things that prove we're somewhere after the GMG. I didn't change much, but enough to make it clear that's where we are. I forgot to change it since it was originally not a chapter of this story but an old one-shot.**

* * *

The time of Lisanna Strauss's wonderful return had everyone in the guild delighted to have their companion back. Drinks were poured, laughter was heard, happiness was shared. Fairy Tail truly was relieved and joyful at the girl's come back from the dead.

Of course, with the S-Class Mage Trial and the Grand Magic Games, there wasn't much time to catch up with her. So, after the horrors and problems that had surged, Team Natsu decided to spend some time with her, be it to know how well she knew Edolas or to go on one or two missions.

But, apparently, Team Natsu didn't count the time they spent with her.

"We're back!"

Several heads turned to the the source of the voice, aknowledging the group with either a nod or a cheerful greeting. Bursting through the guild doors, Team Natsu and the female Strauss siblings came inside, returned from a two week long mission.

"Man, was that a troubling mission or what?!" Natsu sighed loudly, while slumping on a stool heavily. Gray raised his brow, grinning slyly.

"Only you Hot Lava to think a mission that easy was troubling."

"Wanna say that again, Frozen Testicles?!"

"You're on, Fire Balls!"

Lisanna sighed, grinning slightly at the brawl between the two frenemies. Mira giggled.

They had left after Lisanna's agreeance, deciding to pick an easier mission, even though the mission Erza picked was quite the nail biter. They completed it though, through some difficulties, but nonetheless completed it.

"Did you do well without me, Kinana?" Mira questioned, smiling kindly as she stepped behind the counter, next to the other barmaid. Kinana smiled.

"As best as I could, though I missed having your company."

Erza approached the corner of the bar stool where Master Makarov stood, legs crossed and head down as if deep in thought. She cleared her throat, eventually, gaining his attention before he looked down again.

"We completed the task, Master."

"Ah. The beast was slayed, then?" he inquired.

"Thoroughly."

Master nodded, leaving Erza to frown at his sudden agonizing aura. Merely shrugging, she sat down on a bar stool, already ordering her usual slice of strawberry cheesecake. She didn't even pay attention to Natsu and Gray's fight, which knocked down several chairs and broke countless glasses in twirls of ice and fire. Charle tried desperatly to escape the damaging the pair was erupting as she flew towards Wendy, but was failing miserably at dodging Natsu's fire.

"Hey, stop trying to roast me alive!" she complained.

"Aye!" Happy simply said. Charle grunted at his cluelessness, placing a paw on her forehead.

"Don't just say 'aye'…"

"Aye!"

Wendy giggled when Charle sighed exasperatedly. Behind her and next to Levy as usual, Gajeel raised an eyebrow at Natsu and Gray. To say he was surprised was an understatement. Even his little bookworm had stunned him by missing it.

"We have enough money to pay for Fairy Hills rent now," Wendy said to Charle. At that same time, Natsu and Gray had stopped fighting and were panting as they sat on a pair of stools.

Natsu blinked, elbowing the counter to keep himself up. He had an unreadable expression in his face.

"Rent?" he repeated, quietly. Happy frowned and Gray straightened his position, suddenly tuned.

"Something's missing," Gray stated, in a strange tone.

Other than their recent brawl and the chit-chatters around the guild hall, Fairy Tail was quiet. Calm. With no loud voices or extremely embarrassing or funny situations. Natsu eyed his surroundings, suspicious. Something was definitely missing, but what? Cana was there, drinking as usual, Reedus was painting a portrait of Macao, Elfman was happily chatting with Lisanna, Levy was stuck up reading a book, with – hey, was that Gajeel giving him a death glare? And Laxus, next to a bowing gramps, rasing an eyebrow at him and Gray, his eyes borderlining… disappointment?

And then it hit him. His eyes went wide with bewilderement, jumping from the bar stool headily. How had he not seen it before? How in the world had he failed to realize it?

"Where's Lucy?"

His voice was loud and demanding, hinted with panic. The question itself was enough to startle the whole guild and have it quieten, many stunned and confused faces showing in the crowd. Murmurs then crawled their way into the guild, everyone asking each other that same question Natsu had demanded.

"He's right, where _is _Lucy?"

"Come to think of it… I haven't seen her in three months!"

"Oh my God, where is she?!"

Eventually, the murmuring became shouting, and Erza violently jumped out of her stool, dropping her fork in the process.

"Silence!" she yelled. At her explosive tone, they all immediately obeyed.

Much to their surprise, Master Makarov looked up with a strict, yet let down expression in his face as he roamed his eyes through everybody. Even Erza was confused.

"I'm disappointed," he began, in a hoarse voice, "I'm so astonishly disappointed in all of you that I cannot describe the severity of what I feel."

"Gramps…?" Natsu said, frustrated. He then flinched when his eyes stared directly into his, burning with anger, sadness, and most of all, _disappointment._

"Especially in you, Natsu. Mavis, I knew you were clueless, but to be _this _clueless?" he croaked, narrowing his eyes at the fire mage. Cleansing his throat, Makarov spoke up, furious, "Lucy has left Fairy Tail. And none of you have realized she has been gone for three months."

Makarov inhaled, closing his eyes.

"And if what she intended to do goes right, she probably won't be back."

Silence. Never had it seemed so angsty, or bitter, or saddening. Erza dropped her cake to the ground in shock, wide eyed. Gray froze in his spot, displaying the same face as Erza's. Levy felt her hold on her book loosen, as tears filled her eyes to the brim. Mira didn't even notice the wine glass she was cleaning shatter to the ground. Cana stopped midway from taking a sip of her liquor. Juvia stopped gushing over Gray and brought a hand to her mouth, tears in her eyes. So many reactions were seen, so many tears were shown, but no reaction compared to _his._

Shaking incontrollably with his salmon hair dangling in front of his eyes, Natsu dropped to his knees, gripping the ground with his nails like gravity was pulling him upside down. In a flash, tears were soaked in his cheeks and his teeth gritted, while he silently cried. Lisanna, with tears in her eyes, tried to soothe him by placing a hand on his back. It was to her shock that Natsu growled through his tears and yanked her hand off, standing up to face the Master.

"Why?! Why didn't you _stop _her?! Why would she do this?!" he cried out, throatily. Makarov closed his eyes, avoiding the enraged mage's piercing stare.

"I tried to stop her. I tried reasoning with her. But Lucy was determined about her decision," he explained, and turned angry, "And the reason she did this is confidential. You'll have to figure it out by yourself."

Natsu curled his hands into fists, the tears free falling by now. His heart felt like it was being ripped apart, his head getting dizzy and mind foggy. He was losing balance of himself, and would collapse at the rate. Instead, he gritted his teeth, turning sharply and knocking his shoulder against Lisanna's roughly. He was headed for the guild entrance, and his intentions were clearly obvious.

"Natsu," Makarov called, in a stern voice, "You are strictly forbidden from going out to search for Lucy's whereabouts."

The Dragon Slayer stiffened, and turned harshly, ready to come at him with a string of not so pretty words and defy his order, before a large fist knocked him to the ground. Makarov was dead serious.

"If you so much as try, you'll be banned from doing missions for a year."

Natsu didn't answer. He simply lied on the floor, even after Master recoiled his hand. Erza warily approached him, touching his shoulder. Gray wasn't far behind, a hand to his head with his lips strained. Natsu then flinched, avoiding Erza's touch like her fingers were made of acid. Staggering up with his head down, he slowly walked out of the guild, into the cloudy day. No one dared to follow him – not even Lisanna.

He didn't know for how long he'd been wandering around Magnolia. He was unaware of the time, and allowed his feet to guide him. Rain had eventually began to pelt down, dampening his hair and giving it a violet-ish shade as it curtained his dark expression. He just kept walking, hands shoved in his soaked pockets and ignoring the feeling of his clothes clinging to his body from the rain. He didn't even know how to feel, where to go, what to do. Through his moist bangs, Natsu could see that the day was foggy, gray. Just like his heart. Why did he feel like this? So void, so _broken_? Like his chest had been a ticking bomb for this whole time and this was triggering it?

After bumping into a brick wall, Natsu realized his feet had lead him to Lucy's apartment. _Old _apartment. Rubbing the spot in his head where he'd hit, the fire mage pursed his lips, and jumped up in hopes of finding the window open and the busty blonde greeting him with a 'Lucy kick'- that this was all just a sick prank and everything would be back to normal. That the clouds would fly away and the rain would stop mixing with his tears, and give birth to a beautiful day as sunny as Lucy's soft hair and warming as her cocoa eyes.

But, of course, fate liked to toy with him. Even though the window was wide open, hope riling in his chest, the small flat was dusty and more silent than space vacuum. Natsu's shoulders immediately slumped, onyx eyes blinking away yet another wave of tears and meltdowns. Lucy wasn't there. She wasn't in the apartment. She wasn't in Fairy Tail. She wasn't in Magnolia. And, worst of all, she wasn't in his life anymore. Unaware of the impact the realization had in him, Natsu fell to his knees, staring at the ceiling as if it was the universe laughing at him, and Natsu just wanted to beg mercy.

"Why…? _Why_?!" he cried, desperately, "First Igneel, then you trick me with Lisanna, and now Lucy. _Why?!_ Why are you trying to steal my most precious people?!"

_Do you enjoy toying with me? _He thought, head falling down to his chest. It wasn't fair. Just so unfair. He hid it all behind a smile, behind laughter and ignorance, something Lucy had been starting to see. She was truly the only one that had hinted to suspect of his overly cheerful behavior. Even Natsu himself had only realized it was a defense of his own when Mira pointed out examples of mind scarred people who smiled to hide their pain. And Lucy had seen it before he could even know it himself. She was the closest person he'd ever had, along side with Igneel. The one that reached his soul _that _deeply.

He was met with silence. He didn't like silence. Natsu felt himself shaking, and inhaled, albeit having his breath strained. He jolted from the floor and wiped away the tears with the back of his hand and arm, refusing to cry.

"I assume you must be Natsu Dragneel."

How he had failed to notice the steps and smell of Lucy's landlady was beyond his knowledge. He glanced over his shoulder, met with the woman's arm stretched and a slip of paper held in her hand. He frowned.

"She requested I'd give you this before she left," she said, and pulled out a plastic bag with what seemed a pink cloth inside, "And this as well."

Natsu reached out and accepted both, curiosity overriding his previous sadness. When he heard footsteps signaling the landlady had left, he decided to open what seemed a letter.

_Dear Natsu,_

_I'll probably be already gone when you read this, if you ever do. I'm sorry I didn't say anything about leaving, but that's the whole point. Natsu, you're happy now. You've got your best friend Lisanna back and your family supporting you… I don't want to meddle with your happiness, it'd break my heart to see you sad._

Meddle with his happiness? Natsu's head spun faster than a windmill during a hurricane.

_I've decided to leave because I'm no use to you anymore. From the moment we met, I was destined to be your consolation prize and that's… fine. I'm glad I was useful to someone. I was only meant to be your shoulder to cry on, the replacement of Lisanna and that's fine. Which leads us to the main reason why I left. Even though I began realizing it, even though I was supposed to just be your mourning rock, my heart disobeyed that rule._

_I love you, Natsu. I want to be with you, to kiss you breathless and passionately, to have you all to myself and be yours, and to hear you reply those little four words that would make me the happiest girl in the world. A whimsical dream. But hey, dreams are still tax free._

_Ah… You must think I'm so cheesy, writing this. But you know I'm a passionate writer, and an avid reader, so things like these are kind of impossible for me to _not _include in a letter. But, I'll say it again, I love you. And that's why you'll never see me again._

_Lisanna is a lucky girl, Natsu. You're my type of guy, you know? I only realized it recently, huh… you're the risqué level of assertive, but that's what makes you even more amazing. Take good care of Lisanna, okay? She's a nice girl. If you ever have children, hey, don't let Happy influence them. Same to you. Just kidding._

_Goodbye Natsu. I love you. I'll always love you._

_Yours truly,_

_Lucy._

Natsu couldn't even pin point an exact reaction. All he knew is that he felt a twirl of shock, confusion, relief, happiness, desperation, anger and others he could not understand gnawing at his chest. His fingers lost sense of touch, and the paper fell to the ground, swinging merrily in the air beforehand.

Lucy loved _him_.

Lucy _loved _him.

_Lucy _loved him.

He had no idea as to what this fuzzy feeling in his stomach was, or why those three words in the paper had his head light and involuntary grin tugging at his lips. But, the happiness quickly subsided as the painful words repeated in his head.

_You'll never see me again._

_Lisanna is a lucky girl…_

Natsu couldn't even react anymore. He could definitely feel the tears pinching his eyes and the utter confusion in his head, his mouth parting with a silent hiccup, a sudden picture involving gold and big, beautiful brown eyes staining his memories. Silently falling to the floor once again, Natsu slowly reached for the contents of the plastic bag she had left for him. Slightly elated and surprised to find her old pink duvet brushing against his calloused fingers, he pulled the warm fabric out of the bag and buried his nose in the softness. A soft groan escaped his lips. Her scent was there, and _vivid. _Only after more intense smelling and melting from him, the fire mage noticed the small note hanging by the plastic bag.

_I know you always liked my bed, but I had to take the mattress with me. So, as a little gift, you can have my duvet – Lucy._

Natsu gripped the note like it was a threatning warning putting his life at stake – in a way, it was. His life was already changing so much, and with Lucy gone, he didn't think he could handle being away from her. He _couldn't. _He should, right? He was Natsu Dragneel, the one that moved on without the slightest of problems, that made his own fate and fought for his family. He should be able to forget about the girl he cared the most.

But he wasn't.

Why did she think he loved Lisanna? What made her reach that conclusion? He didn't love her, she was just a close friend. She meant nothing compared to what he felt for Lucy.

… What _did _he feel for Lucy?

* * *

"Natsu…"

The called mage looked up to meet the concerned and teary eyes of Happy. Natsu had stayed overnight at Lucy's (old) apartment, tucked in her duvet and absorbed in her scent like he was drowning in the vast sea. It felt like she was there, his head leaning on her shoulder and her arms locked around him as she stroked his hair.

"Hey, Happy," he muttered, scratching the back of his foster son's ears. Happy frowned sadly, and hugged Natsu, burying his snout in the crook of his neck.

"I wished I slept in her apartment too, but Erza told me to stay and let you have some time to yourself," he cried softly, "I agreed…"

"Thank you," Natsu whispered, "I did need it."

Happy sniffled, hugging him closer.

"Is she really gone, Natsu…? Is she?" he sobbed. Natsu frowned his lips for a moment, overthinking those words. After plentiful decisions, he tightened his hold on the blue cat.

"No."

Happy blinked confusingly, tilting his head back to stare into Natsu's onyx eyes. They held sadness and nostalgia, but most of all, determination.

"Natsu?"

"I'm bringing her back."

Happy jumped to the table they stood at.

"But Master…" he trailed, suddenly unsure of his words at his foster father's fierceness in his eyes. Natsu seemed to have made a decision and would not give up on it.

"I'm going to find her. No matter what."

* * *

**(also made a few changes I forgot. I guess I was so excited for you to read this that I went too fast.)**

**Sorry, it's a short chapter, but I just wanted you guys to read this as soon as possible.**

**You poor Natsu… you can't even realize how much you love Lucy. Bastard.**

**Kind of makes **_**me **_**the bastard here. I'm the one making them suffer. Oh god, I'm such a bastard to my characters, and to you all for that matter. MUAHAHAHAHA.**

**Anywho, REVIEWS. I'm dying of hunger for REVIEWS. And if I die, you'll never know what'll happen next…**


	6. Intruders

**(READ THIS!)**

**A little side note: blumenwiese made a fair point in timeline, in the last chapter, (about Jude's last name, it'll be explained later), so I changed some things that prove we're somewhere **_**after**_** the GMG. I didn't change much, but enough to make it clear that's where we are. I forgot to change it since it was originally not a chapter of this story but an old one-shot.**

**So, I strongly advise you to check out what I changed, before you read the new chapter.**

* * *

Lucy watched in awe at the green glow she produced from her fingers, pouring it into the bruise she had earned from training with Loke. The reddish purple began subsiding painlessly, leaving nothing but soft skin and healthy flesh in its wake. She smiled, proud of her work.

She still remembered her encounter with the god – _goddess_. Asclepius. She had descended upon her words, eyeing her with serene, welcoming green eyes. She had been stunned with her greek flowing ropes, bare feet and peridot plus emerald jewels holding the cloth over her chest, delicate face framed by locks of hazelnut hair that flowed to her small back and dangled off her pale arms. Her eyelids were tinted with a garish tone of green that swirled artistically around her eyes, the corners glistening with small pale gems and eyelashes beautifully long.

"Art thou Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla Heartfilia?" she'd inquired, in a honey warm voice with an imperious tinge. Gulping, Lucy replied by nodding.

"Then my powers are at thy service," she'd proclaimed, "Thou has began mastering the Cure, Sano Terram, and art bound to this holy embodiment of mine."

She bound their hands together with a few light strings that gleamed green – her touch felt vague, invisible and strangely soothing.

Lucy didn't know how to respond, so she'd followed her instinct, and bowed respectively. Asclepius nodded, aknowledging her with a serene, calming face. When she slowly disappeared, the black letters of the manual that read 'Sano Terram' had burst in green, signaling the Cure spell was in control. Ever since then, Lucy had been capable of healing the wounds she received during training, stomach aches, headaches, the cramps, any type of discomfort. She'd use it on Loke too, when he got knocked out by her quite roughly. After three months putting it into practice, she could safely say she'd quite dominated the spell.

It wasn't just Sano Terram. She'd dominated two other more in the last three months, such as the light spell and the wind spell – Venus Lucem and Urano Caeli.

Since Venus was known for its brilliance, it was given to the Light. The spell could either blind opponents, be used as a way of distraction or simply be used to lighten the surroundings for the caster's benefit. Lucy's magic had deemed her worthy of learning the Light spell a month after Sano Terram, glowing anabashedly golden and creating a stunning pattern of stars in her eyes. It was strinkingly similar to Urano Metria. Her voice had came out loud and clear as she chanted the words granting her control of the two gods' magic that were bound to Venus Lucem.

"_Shine bright in the core of Venus,_

_Shine bright in this core of mine,_

_You will blind my foes, you will brighten my path,_

_You will be the sacred light that guides my fate._

_I shall extinguish the Dark with your Light in my hand,_

_I shall gleam in beauty and outstand the world._

_Oh holy Aphrodite, grant me your beauty,_

_Oh holy Apollo, grant me your Light,_

_VENUS LUCEM!"_

The tales had not lied. The goddess Aphrodite was beauty incarnated, with wavy blonde hair that fell to her naked body and entrancing blue eyes – so entrancing that Lucy realized why she was the goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. Her mind had drifted off to a racy scenario of her and Natsu the moment she laid eyes on that pair of aquamarine blue, and blushed vividly upon the goddess's mischievous smile. Apollo had a lighter shade of blonde to his curly hair, a purely white greek rope clinging to his toned chest and falling to his strong legs. His irises were the color of honey.

"Art thou Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla Heartfilia?" the god had inquired, calmly.

"Yes."

"Then our powers are at thy service," Aphrodite concluded, her tone implying confidence, "Thou has began mastering the Light, Venus Lucem, and art bound to this pair of holy embodiments."

The three joined hands, the same feeling of touch she had felt from Asclepius in their fingers, and the strings that bound them to each other were golden instead of green. They had retreated after Lucy's respectful bow, and the letters of Venus Lucem glowed yellow to proof the Light spell was in the first steps of being dominated. She'd use it only a few times, one of them to read a book she was addicted to when the lights went out, due to a temporary power cut.

Now, the third one already involved a second element of the usual four – water, fire, earth and air. Specifically speaking, Lucy practically mastered the latter two.

_The Wind spell. This one allows the caster to fly and enhances their speed, and it is given to the said element Wind. The caster can call forth hurricanes or very strong winds and, if powerful, steal the air within the opponent's lungs, deciding to either completely kill the opponent or just steal their consciousness. Many more if the caster is relatively creative._

This one was tricky and a lot more complex. Lucy had failed at her first attempt to seek out the magic within her that lead her the first step of Urano Caeli. Her shoulders had slumped in defeat, feeling guilt and disappointment rush in. Weakness. She'd been practically known for that word. And failing like this only made her worse.

"Try again," Loke had said, "Remember, making _one _mistake isn't the end of the world. Try again."

She'd blinked away the tears pooling in her eyes, hesitantly obeying. It took longer to find the correct balance for the Wind, eventually hours passing by as she tried to reach the spell's confines, but she made it. When she let go of her pessimistic attitude and regained her fierceness and determination to become stronger, she finally made it. The magical glow warped into a silvery white color, her eyes filled with glimmering symbols resembling hurricanes and unknown characters, and at that exact time, she rised from the ground to chant the words to the spell.

"_Thy winds that blow, thy air that lives,_

_Allow it to consumme, and to be heavenly consummed,_

_For I will ask for the skills of Uranus,_

_To aid me in battle, to aid me in life,_

_To defeat my enemies, to mold Air with my hands,_

_Grant my body the will to fly and the will to blend,_

_I hereby call forth the power of the king of winds, Aeolus,_

_To meld my soul to his bristly storms,_

_URANO CAELI!"_

Lucy regretted having worn a skirt that time. Because, as soon as the echo of her words died down, a massive blow of wind swirled around the trio, lifting plants and knocking her backwards from such sheer force. Loke fortunately had caught her, just in time to see a bearded figure materiallizing upon her. It was a tall and muscular man, with raven black hair and silvery eyes that bore into hers mindlessly. Aeolas. Being the fourth god with typically greek ropes, Lucy naturally assumed all gods from above wore such vests.

"Are thou Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla Heartfilia?" he asked, just like the others.

"Yes." Her voice was starting to come off confident.

Aeolas nodded slowly, and brought her hand to his in wires of silver and light. The connection felt airy and fresh, hovering on her wrist and hand.

"Then my powers are at thy service," he declared, "Thou has began mastering the Wind, Urano Caeli, and are bound to this holy embodiment of mine."

On cue, Lucy bowed, and Aeolas vanished along with the strong winds and whistles. The letters 'Urano Caeli' gleamed white, before fading and closing the book with a _woosh._ Now Air – Lucy used it more often. Be it to blow dry her hair, cool down her morning coffee or even in training with Loke, sending him flying to a tree as an attack. The more she used the spell, the stronger and more obedient her winds became.

Lucy exhaled, shrugging into her jacket and slipping on her boots. By now, April had knocked on the door, so today she opted by a white tank top, a pair of denim shorts and white stockings. This time, Virgo was the one bringing her to the Forest Groove, and she easily took her hand. That nausea due to spinning between three worlds in one second punched her stomach, and she bent over with a displeased groan. By the sight of green weeds embracing her leather boots, she looked up warily.

"I hate moving around like that," she hissed. Virgo remained silent.

The blonde rotated her shoulder to crack the knots away. Midday sunlight seeped into the colorful forest, glistening newborn wild flowers and beckoning birds and deers to come out. This was the official call of spring.

"Miss Lucy," Capricorn's voice was heard, and Lucy finally noticed him standing in the middle of the clearing Virgo had brought her to. She instantly joined him on the dirty ground.

"Hello, Capricorn," she greeted enthusiastically. He smiled, and there was a gleam to his eyes behind his shades.

"I am glad you are in a good mood," he said, presenting her the spell manual, "because we are going to call forth Hephaestus, the god of Fire."

Lucy froze. The Mercury spell and the strongest element.

"A-Are you sure I'm ready for it?" she questioned, a little intimidated by the book in her lap.

"You have never been more ready, Miss Lucy."

The celestial mage nibbled on her lower lip, eyeing the closed cover. This was also quite the challenge. She had only mastered Urano Caeli recently – she didn't know if she'd be ready for the strongest element of them all.

"Trust me, miss Lucy," he assured, "Trust yourself. Believe in your power, in your magic."

Lucy blinked, going stiff, but then breathed in. She closed her eyes, allowing the sounds and scents of nature wash over her senses, before she re-opened them. They held a hint of bravery and belief they didn't hold before.

"I'll do it."

She closed her eyes again, the moment she spoke. Lucy seeked, _seeked, _deep in her reservoir of magic the slightest glimmer of fire, of heat, of passion. Had her memories with Natsu helped her or not, she didn't know, yet she kept them alive in her head. She searched for what had to burn her, for the Fire hidden behind the depts of her vessel and for the courage such element brought along. It had probably been hours, perhaps into mid afternoon, but Lucy never gave up. She was sweating, her eyes and lips squeezed tight in sheer concentration. Never had she worked so hard for her magic.

Suddenly, it was there. She didn't know how, or when for that matter, but it was there. As soon as she felt that fervent sliver of hot magic in her soul, she latched onto it like a leech. Lucy growled (which Loke, who had arrived not long after she started, easily compared to a furious Natsu like reaction), springing to her feet with the manual glowing an intense reddish orange. The pages flipped harshly, halting sharply in one embedded in shades of red, orange and yellow.

Aestus Mercurius. The Fire spell – might it be the strongest one out of all eight.

Lucy snapped her eyes open. Her cocoa eyes were hidden behind a glowing layer of a fiery pattern, the curves and lines resembling flames encripted in a thousand blades. Her natural golden glow turned into what seemed flames erupting from her body, and her power felt stronger than ever.

She parted her lips, her voice coming out loud and clear,

"_In where the gates of Mercury harbour Heat,_

_In my body burns the soul of Fire…_"

"Lucy, watch out!" Loke suddenly screamed.

As if on cue, Lucy caught a pair of green vices aiming at her, by the corner of her eye. Before she could react, Loke jumped onto her back, pushing her out of the path.

_No! _she cried internally, as the strong magic and seething aura began fading from her body, _I was going so well, it was right __**there**__!_

Angered at the interruption, the blonde roughly pried herself from Loke's protective arms, glow returning as silvery white. Lucy relied on her newly heightened senses of perception and battle, and felt the presence fading to her left.

"Urano Caeli!" she called, a turmoil of air bursting out of her fists.

She willed her winds to bring the attacker forward, her eyes flashing a blend of silver and wrath. The person cried out at her command, flying backwards through stashes of trees and leaves and falling heavily to Lucy's feet. The blonde stared, as _she _struggled to get up from the ground.

It was a short girl, with long curly hair to her hips that matched the dark brown of the trees surrounding them. She was a petite girl, very skinny and narrow waisted, but Lucy didn't fail to notice that despite such, her bosom was nearly the same as hers. Her shoulders were clad in a denim jacket, a simple white shirt beneath. She wore Lucy's choice of clothing from the waist down, but instead of combat boots, she wore a pair of red chucks.

The girl looked up from behind that curtain of mahogany hair, finally standing up. Her eyes were round and big, with a devious mix of innocence and confidence – merged in irises of emerald green.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" the brunette spat, furious.

Lucy was already angry for not finishing her strongest spell, and if the cause of the interruption was talking crap at her, she'd explode.

"What the hell I think _I'm _doing? You fucking attacked me!" Lucy cursed, and could hear Loke vaguely laughing, not far behind.

The girl seemed slightly peeved at the accusation, yet her eyes shined with realization and a pinch of regret.

"Argh, sorry," she muttered, and spun on her heels, towards the left, "I was chasing some bandits down and felt your presence. I thought you were one of them."

At her apology, Lucy's anger died down a bit, and her kindness came into play.

"That's okay. Tell you what, I'll help you catch them," she suggested, "How's that sound?"

The brunette frowned her lips, eyeing her carefully. After some thorough inspectioning, with narrowed eyes, she shrugged.

"Sure, why not?"

"Lucy," Loke suddenly asked, "Do you need us?"

She knew what he was implying. A test to her new abillities. With a shake of her head, Loke nodded, smiling. Lucy smiled as well and turned to the brunette, which she mirrored the lip gesture, and both sprinted off towards left. They passed countless trees, blotches of green, cracking twigs and jumping over mossy rocks as they tried to find the bandits. Lucy perked her ears and felt her blood boiling in anticipation. She could hear birds, their feet, their ragged breathing…

Lucy grinned, spotting a pair of dusty looking men making a run for it. Noticing the nod from the short brunette, she launched at them with a war cry, tackling one to the ground easily. He struggled beneath her, eyeing her with a panicked look, but Lucy gave him one of her infamous glares – those that could match Erza's wrath in a millisecond. That had definitely shut him up, and with a twirl of her fingers, a pair of airborne cuffs appeared in his hands, thin yet sinfully strong.

"Got one!" she yelled, and got up from the dirty ground, just as another pair of bulky men joined the party.

Lucy glanced at the brunette, who was expertly fighting the other thug despite her tiny stature. Lucy sprung to her feet, when the two men charged at her. With quick hands, she unfastened her _fleuve d'étoiles_ from her belt and latched it around one of them, using the man's body as leverage for her feet and for a punch across the other's face. After dealing with two, the turned to the tied man, smiling slightly.

"Now, what should I do to you?" she mock threatened, and hissed with a smirk, "Venus Lucem."

The hand that wasn't holding the whip glowed a fierce golden, and the man shrieked, terrorized. Lucy wanted to laugh, but she held her tongue.

"I got the rest of them," the brunette's voice suddenly echoed. Lucy turned to her, still holding the whip securely around the whining man. The short girl snorted at the scene.

With a mischievous grin, she tossed the remaining men into a pile, eyeing the only conscious one with crossed arms.

"Tell me one good reason to not take you to the capital guards," she taunted.

"You will not get away with this!" he spat, suddenly less terrified, "When my boss hears about this –"

"I dealed with your boss _loong _before I started chasing you guys down," she interrupted, raising an eyebrow, "You and your little pals here were the only ones left of your little gang."

Upon that new information, the man looked menaced again.

"P-Please, have mercy on me! I-It wasn't my idea, I had nothing to do with that robbery!" he squeaked. Lucy saw the brunette roll her eyes.

"Typical. Gangs are like that around here – no protection of their _nakama_," she spat, and with a glowing green hand, she slapped the man so had that he joined his unconscious companions.

"Wow. Even in the capital there's gangs and thugs…" Lucy muttered. She eyed the amount of knocked out men.

"You have no freakin' idea," she replied, sighing. The blonde watched as she slipped out of her jacket, and gasped upon her right wrist.

Tinted peridot green, almost like her eyes, was the fantastic tattoo of a swirling dragon imprinted into the pale skin. Lucy narrowed her eyes, and before she could stop herself, she grasped the brunette's wrist with her right hand. Comparing her markless hand to the marked wrist was somewhat painful.

"You… this mark?" she inquired. The girl blinked.

"This mark?" she repeated, and smiled, "This the mark of my guild."

Lucy parted her lips, before her legs bucked and her world turned black.

* * *

**So, what'd you think of the new girl? Do you trust her? Hate her? Oh well, like it or not, she's gonna play a big part. Gihi.**

**Also, I know Asclepius was a god, not a goddess. In here, I will only used the names and positions each greek god has, and I might change the gender if I so feel like it.**

**REVIEW. Or I'll steal a fish from Happy and tell him it was you.**


	7. Dragon Claw

**So many people afraid of Lucy entering a new guild. Don't fret – or fret, I'm a writer, not a police officer. But you'll see what happens.**

* * *

"Lucy… Lucy!"

The blonde's eyes quivered, unveiling the surroudings through a blur. The first thing she finally put together was a pair of emerald green eyes and a spiky ginger mop of hair, as she struggled to sit up. A groan left her throat. She was extremely sore.

"You okay?" Loke asked, worriedly. She nodded, though the gesture brought a wave of pain to her head, and she grimaced.

"What happened?" she mumbled, rubbing her temples.

"You passed out," the brunette said, "So I brought you to my guild."

Lucy blinked. Her guild? She was in a guild?

"Welcome to Dragon Claw," she declared, grinning excitedly, "I'm Maya, by the way. Maya Everhart."

"Lucy Heartfilia. Dragon Claw?"

Maya nodded, and leaned forward slightly, showing her the green swirling dragon in her right wrist.

"We're a guild that is situated deep in the Forest Groove. We've been here for nearly twelve years and practically no one but the King and a few from the capital know we exist."

"You don't like to stand out?" Lucy inquired.

"You could say that," Maya agreed, shrugging with a smile, "I've been here for nearly eight years. Now, changing the subject, what kind of magic was that?"

"Huh?" Lucy made, confused. Maya grinned.

"You used two types of magic. I think… light and wind. How can you have two types of magic?"

Lucy opened her mouth, the words dying in her throat. It would be pretty difficult to explain what she had been up to. She smiled slightly.

"It's a long story," she trailed, and turned to Loke with squinted eyes, "Why did I pass out? I wasn't tired at all."

Loke frowned his lips.

"Remember how I always told you how dangerous the grand spells are? Well, this is one of the aftereffects," he explained, "Before Maya here interrupted your bonding with Fire, your magic levels were at extreme ranges, due to Aestus Mercurius being one of the strongest spells to master. And when she stopped the ritual, your magic radically went down, thus making you lose your senses."

"But I was fine when I chased those thugs!"

"Because you used magic almost immediately after the spell was interrupted. Your body only reacted when the presence of your magic was completely faded into its vessel within you."

Lucy leaned back on the bed she sat on, a little speechless. She _was _warned of the consequences. She just didn't think about them while training. That clearly had to change.

"I'm gonna assume that this is sorta my fault so… I'm sorry," Maya said, grimacing slightly. Lucy smiled, shaking her head.

"It's alright, Maya. You didn't know," she then grinned gently, "Thanks for bringing me here."

Maya grinned, and unabashedly sprang forward to hug her. Lucy squeaked in surprise, but then giggled, hugging her just as tightly. It felt nice.

"What about you?" she asked, as Maya stepped back, "I saw your hand glow green when you punched that guy."

Maya grinned, raising her right fist. It began glowing a bright green, engulfing her small knuckles.

"I'm an Earth Dragon Slayer."

Lucy stared at her, mouth slightly parted and eyes blinking in confusion as the information seeped into her brain. Then, slowly, her eyes widened into the size of balloons, shock and wonder written all over her face.

"Seriously?! Sweet Mavis, I swear I've never heard of such magic!"

Maya laughed, placing her fist in her lap while the green faded away.

"Of course you haven't. There's a lot of Dragon Slaying magic that people don't know."

"I know three Dragon Slayers from my guild," Lucy blurted, and immediately regretted it.

"Really?" Maya inquired, curious. The blonde nodded, hesitantly.

"They're… um, Fire, Iron and Sky Dragon Slayers."

"What guild?"

Lucy stiffened, hugging herself. By the sad and hurt look in her chocolate eyes, Maya understood that something related to that guild had happened. Something bad.

"… Would you listen to me if I told you about the drama in my life?"

Maya blinked, and nodded.

And then she told her. It was painful to say it a second time, but she somehow trusted Maya. The small Dragon Slayer was tuned to her every word, hearing her out on how she loved Natsu, how he showed her the world and how he tore it to pieces, regardless of her feelings. Maya had held a stern, yet gentle face upon the story telling, not commenting on how Lucy had to stop for a few times to wipe her nose and dry her tears.

Now, both girls stood in silence and Loke had placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, hugging her lightly. Maya straightened her back, and Lucy watched as she seemingly processed the information in her head.

"I thought I would like to meet these guys," she suddenly said, in a bitter tone, "I guess I was wrong."

Lucy didn't answer, sniffling. Maya's serious look began fading into a kind half smile, and took the blonde's hand in her own with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Join us, then!"

"… What?"

"Join Dragon Claw!" Maya exclaimed, grinning, "You'll love it, I promise you that!"

"Join… another guild?" Lucy glanced at Loke, who was smiling widely at her. Apparently he thought it to be a good idea. Well, it had to be temporary, right?

"I…"

"Sheesh, what's with the yelling?" a male voice echoed, "Seriously, Maya, if you ever do a speech, you won't need a loudspeaker."

Lucy drifted her attention from Maya to the doorstep. Casually leaning against the wall, stood a tall young man, with dark indigo hair that reached his chin, crystalline blue eyes and a mischievous smirk tugging at his lips. He wore a black leather jacket over a dark turquoise shirt, a pair of gray, stylishly shredded jeans and simple dark sneakers. The same dragon on Maya's wrist, the Dragon Claw mark, was printed on the left side of his neck in a bright blue, partially hidden by the collar of his jacket.

"You okay?" he inquired, directed at Lucy. She nodded, "Good. Imagine the guild's reaction when Maya burst through the front doors, carrying an unconscious girl."

"Sorry if I caused a commotion," Lucy said, smiling apologetically. He shook his head, smiling.

"No biggie. I'm Ivory, Ivory Silver. Everyone calls me Ivy, though, you're welcome to do the same," he said, and stretched his hand for her to shake it. Lucy did so, smiling.

"Lucy Heartfilia."

Ivy did the same with Loke, who firmly hand-shaked him.

"I'm Leo, the Lion, Lucy's celestial spirit."

Ivy nodded, quite impressed, "Celestial magic, huh?"

"He's got a girl's name," Maya blurted, snickering. Ivy rolled his eyes.

"Let's ignore this poor version of Deliora here," he said, pointing his thumb at the brunette. Maya gave him a death glare.

"Says the Loch Ness Monster's hideous descendant," she taunted back. Lucy eyed the pair in amusement, glancing at Loke, who was fighting to not chuckle.

"Ahem… so, Ivy, what's your type of magic?" the blonde inquired, to break the tension. He seemed to lighten up at the question, and smirked.

Lucy watched in awe as he flicked his index finger towards the water mug in her hands, and gasped when the liquid came pouring – up. It swirled around the room in the form of moldy spheres, before he had the water go into his mouth. It glowed bright blue as he drank it.

"I'm a Water Dragon Slayer," he said. Lucy was quite surprised.

"Are all of Dragon Claw's mages Dragon Slayers?"

"That'd be super awesome, but no," Maya replied, "We've got one Ice Make mage, one Time Ark, one Embodiment, two Animal Souls and two Requip as our S-Rank mages."

Lucy raised her brow, impressed. They could even be just as powerful as Fairy Tail. Perhaps even more so.

"Are you two included?" she questioned. Maya pouted cutely.

"Only Ivy. He's really powerful, you know," she said, grinning almost proudly, "I bet he'd take that Natsu down in a millisecond."

To their surprise, Lucy burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, but that would be fun to watch. I mean… you don't know Natsu."

Ivy smirked, "And you don't know me."

"… Good point," she muttered. He chuckled and Maya smirked.

"Who's this Natsu fellow?" he asked, eyebrow up.

"A… friend, of mine," she said, noting Maya's knowing look, "He's a Fire Dragon Slayer."

"_Sweet_, Natsu Dragneel," Ivy said, grinning dangerously, "Now I really want to fight him."

"Please do," Maya said, a little too loudly. Ivy frowned as Lucy stiffened, and for the sake of her new friend, the brunette sighed, "Let's just say… he did something bad to Luce over here and I totally hate him."

Lucy felt surprise and unexpected joy when Maya nicknamed her. Natsu used to call her that as well, she should have felt a pang in her heart. However, with a smile, she decided she liked Maya calling her 'Luce'.

"Another reason to fight him," Ivy proclaimed, suddenly sounding more serious.

"Hey… he's not… worth my time," Lucy muttered, though the words were painful. However, Maya smirked.

"Of course not."

"Anywho…" Ivy said, "Me and Maya are partners and best buddies here, and some of the few who have been in the guild for many years. I think we're the best choice to show you around."

"And you can tell him the story, Luce," Maya said, "You can trust him."

"What story?"

Lucy bit her lip, fiddling with her fingers in her lap. At Ivy's inquisitive stare however, she sighed.

"The story of why I left my guild and what bad things Natsu did to me."

Ivy frowned his lips, crossing his arms.

"Tell you what, you can tell me that story at dinner tonight, with the three of us," he suggested, smirking. Maya grinned.

"Yeah! What do you think, Luce?"

Lucy blinked at the kind offer, and then smiled so widely that if she put on a clown make-up, she'd definitely be mistaken for the Joker. Or at least, she funnily thought so.

"That sounds great!" she said, but then frowned, "What about the rest of the guild? Wasn't I supposed to meet your friends?"

Maya was about to reply, before a loud growling noise rang from Lucy's stomach, beneath the sheets. Blushing pink, she covered her lower abdomen with her arms, while Loke, Ivy and Maya laughed loudly.

"Right now, I think food is our number one priority," Ivy teased, which made her pout.

"I couldn't agree more," Loke said, getting up from the bed and taking Lucy in the process, "Right now, you need some food, and some rest."

Lucy smiled up at him.

"Thanks Loke."

The Leo smiled, nodding, before disappearing. Maya turned to Lucy, grinning.

"Okay, who's up for pizza?"

* * *

"Holy shit, I can't believe he actually did that!"

Lucy was desperately trying to eat her french fries through her breathless fit of laughter, but was failing miserably. Maya held a similar reaction, while Ivy stared at the blonde with a half amused, half incredulous grin.

"Yeah, he did! And then he blew up three buildings!" Lucy kept saying. Maya clutched her stomach.

"I can't wait to meet this guy, he sounds hilarious!"

"Your days definitely get brighter with him around, that's for sure," Lucy said, grinning as she wiped away the tears from laughing so badly.

They had chosen a local place, Heather's Pizzeria, which (according to Maya) served the best pizza around Fiore. When Lucy took a bite of her bacon and cheese slice, she couldn't agree more. Maya decided it was a good oportunity to get to know each other, and no one disagreed. Ivy was the first one up – he was practically a year older than Lucy, nineteen to be precise, and had been in Dragon Claw for as long as Maya. His foster father, Aquolium the Water dragon, had left the same day as Natsu and the others' dragons, leaving him all by himself before he found Maya. They both travelled ever since kids, eventually finding Dragon Claw and joining them. Ivy's favourite food was sushi, his hobbies involved practicing with Maya, swimming (ironically), he disliked roasted nuts and absolutely hated chilli pepper.

She eventually explained it all to Ivy, after his request to do so. His reaction was pretty much the same as Maya's, and Lucy didn't cry this time. For some reason, she felt like she could trust these two with her life, even barely knowing them. They gave off that aura – an aura of trust, loyalty and protection.

Then, Maya. She was two years younger than Lucy, sixteen, and her foster mother was Herbalie, the Earth dragon. She loved painting, reading horror novels and climbing mountains, disliked rice and hated yams. Maya also liked to write, much to Lucy's delight and surprise. Being an artist and reader didn't seem to be the first hobbies that came up to someone's mind, when looking at Maya.

"Seriously, I've never seen someone so reckless, and I know this little spitfire over here!" Ivy said, gesturing towards Maya. The brunette glared at him.

"So funny I forgot to laugh!" she mocked, rolling her eyes. Lucy giggled.

"Lucy," Ivy called, Maya's comment thoroughly ignored, "It's your turn."

The blonde stopped, a fry just inches away from her open mouth.

"My turn?" she repeated. Maya grinned.

"We told you stuff about us, now it's time you tell us stuff about you."

Lucy blinked, and smiled, after shoving the fry into her mouth.

"Okay. Where to start… my name is Lucy Heartfilia and I'm turning eighteen in July."

"Eighteen?! _Holy motherfu_… you're two years older than me," she pouted. Ivy snickered.

"You're the baby of the gang, you're the baby of the gang," he sang. Lucy snorted, quite unladylikely.

"Meh," she said, smirking, "It's not that bad, at least she can get me booze."

Lucy burst out laughing.

"What if I don't get you booze?"

"Then… then!" she trailed, and mock sniffled with a cute pout, "I cry…"

Lucy sputtered, and Ivy showed a displeased face.

"Hey, what about me? I sneak out booze for you all the time," he reminded, frowning. Maya rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you're a _guy_, she's a _girl,_" she said, talking as if she was explaining it all to a dumb five year old,"Her being a girl makes her automatically know what I want, since you always bring tasteless and cheap beer, you twat."

"Cheater," Lucy teased, smirking.

"It's booze. You never specify!" he insisted, scowling. Maya smirked.

"Keep going, Luce."

"I've already told you the story of my life so… my hobbies include reading, writing, previously shopping and now I have the habit of training everyday to become stronger, as you already know. My favourite food is yogurt, I dislike fish and I really hate dried plums. Much like Wendy."

"You don't like fish and this Happy cat was always offering it to you," Ivy deadpanned. Lucy smiled, nodding.

"He's a cat. What else to expect?"

"We forgot to mention it, but we also have Exceeds too," Maya cut in, "Mine is Tullip and Ivy's is Jack. You might just see them, now that you're going to hang out with us."

_Now that you're going to hang out with us._

Lucy pondered on that fact. She was indeed making new friends and getting over her grief. Her plan was going well, and so much better than what she had pictured before she left Magnolia. She was glad to have two friends like Maya and Ivy.

"Speaking of hanging out…" Ivy started, "What's your decision?"

"Decision?"

"About Dragon Claw. Are you… going to join us?"

Lucy frowned her lips. A new guild. New friends. New powers. A new life. Would she ever see Natsu again? She hoped so. But the letter she left behind said otherwise… and yet she couldn't be happy if she didn't move on.

"You know, that is a very good idea. But, this is…" she paused, inhaling, "going a bit fast. But I'll definitely think about it."

"Fair enough," Maya said, and mock pouted, "But I'm still expecting a yes."

Lucy smiled.

* * *

**DON'T WORRY, IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. Besides, admit it. It would be cool. But I'm getting ahead of myself, gihihihi.**

**REVIEW. I'll give you a brownie if you do! If you don't I kill you.**


	8. Unexpected Visitors

**If I don't update tomorrow or until this weekend, don't blame me. I've got a lot going on these days.**

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"Keep that rhythm up, Lucy, very good!"

The blonde growled as Virgo started digging holes in the ground, but she was fast and positively chirpy today. As the amount of digging was near her feet, she jumped in the air as high as she could.

"Urano Caeli! Fly Diversion: Enchant!" she casted, and the winds obeyed their new mistress, raising her elegantly in the air. Virgo came out of the hole she had just digged, eyeing her mistress with what seemed a hint of admiration.

Lucy smiled down at her, and spread her arms, calling forth the Wind once more. It blew her tied hair and clung her black shirt to her sweaty back, eventually earning such force that had Virgo and Loke tumbling to the ground. Lucy remained up in the air, feeling twirls of wind around her as leverage.

"I'm getting scared, Lucy," Loke called over the strong wind, grinning, "The student has become the master!"

"What did you expect?!" Lucy mocked, unveiling her whip with a dandy smirk. Loke gulped. Whenever she brought out her _fleuve d'étoiles_, he knew she was getting serious.

Just like he presumed, she cracked the whip in the air with a war cry, flying down at the speed of lightning in Loke's direction. He positioned himself in a fighting stance, grunting when her whip wrapped around his left arm.

"Come on, Loke!" she teased, and threw him to the other side of the clearing, "Is that all you've got?!"

As if to answer her question, Virgo launched at her mistress, and both engaged in a hand-to-hand combat. Virgo was less smooth than Loke, which only contributted to Lucy's triumph over their duel. With a hiss, Virgo was thrown to the ground, and Lucy moved to attack Loke.

"It doesn't help when you've got a fuckin' whip!" Loke cursed, causing Lucy to momentarily stop to blow up in laughter. He grinned, "Heads up!"

"Oh!" she cried out, when he managed to pin her to the ground and throw her whip away from her range, "You bastard, no fair!"

"All is fair in the war of love," he winked. Lucy grimaced, scowling at him.

"Heads _down._"

"OUCH!"

Loke let Lucy slip out of his grasp after she roughly kicked him in the groin, scrambling to pick up her trusted whip. She had a grin in her face that made Loke groan.

"Why are you always kicking me in the crotch?!"

"Because you're a guy. I'm a girl, so hitting _that _doesn't necessarily make it a low blow. Well… _low blow,_" she snorted. Loke glared at her.

"So _funny._"

"I know."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know, too."

"Okay, now you're being annoying."

"I know."

Loke sighed, and smirked, "That's not going to work."

"What's not going to work?" she asked, voice tone implying fake innocence. He snickered.

"You're angering me on purpose, to make me come at you with everything I've got."

Lucy stood silent for a few seconds, and then glared at him.

"Screw you."

"With pleasure."

She wailed, grasping her hair sharply. Loke only laughed.

"Looks like your plan backfired. You're the one getting angered."

Lucy's eye twitched, and avoiding the rude comment, she charged at him with her whip taut in her hands. Loke gasped, jumping away when the tip cracked next to his feet. Lucy soon enough was on him again, pinning him down with a smirk.

"And now you're the one losing," she stated. Loke raised an eyebrow, peeved.

"Ha ha."

"Quit laughing, I'm trying to be cool here," Lucy said, glaring at him. Loke eyed her with narrowed, dull eyes.

"HA HA HA."

Even the birds stopped on their tracks at the loud echo of Lucy's slap. All they saw was the blonde getting up from the ground with a satisfied smile, and a very grim and pained looking Loke following, rubbing a burning red cheek.

"Ow, ow, ow…" he mocked in annoyance, "Did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Also a punishment for seducing me and forgetting Aries."

Loke sighed exasperatedly, although grinning.

"Why is it that you punish big brother and not me, princess?" Virgo questioned from afar, in her usual monotone voice. Lucy sighed, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not going to punish you, Virgo…"

"Wow, you really are overprotective of your spirits. Except for me, apparently. You don't seem to mind tearing my cheek into a poor excuse of flesh," Loke said, in a fake amazed voice.

"Shut up and fight me."

He sputtered.

"Hey, hey!" he warned, smirking, "Going 'Natsu'?"

"No way!" she protested, cheeks fuming red and eyes glaring knives into his soul, "There's no comparison, for Mavis's sake!"

"Alright."

Lucy cried out when he had her kneeling to the ground, her arms tied to her back by his harsh and yet smooth hands. Her bare knees felt the harsh texture of grass.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He shrugged behind her.

"You told me to fight you, or did you not?"

With that, he twirled her around in his arms, and they began Lucy's second hand-to-hand combat. Her breathing was replaced by panting, her muscles were pained – though she ignored it as usual – and her body was soaked in odoriferous fluids. She needed a bath, but she wanted to keep training. It made her feel stronger and perky. Indeed, these training habits she began were working its magic on her. Lucy had noticed a few days ago, that after three months of exercise, she had lost nearly nine pounds. Also, her arms and legs began forming the slightest lumps of muscle – it wasn't very noticeable, making her look so much more elegant and beautiful than before.

Loke's hand collided with her head, provoking a hiss from her. To retaliate, Lucy pulled out a move she had been thinking about – three steps back, a tall jump, a quick spin in the air after she kicked with both her legs and a landing with spread legs and arms bent on the ground. He rubbed his left shoulder, visibly impressed with her approach.

"Luce, you really are awesome."

Lucy blinked at the new voice, standing with a ragged breath. Sitting next to Virgo with a wide grin and a bag of grocery shopping, was Maya. And, on top of her head, a ginger striped Exceed with eyes just as green as Maya's, a small maroon colored dress cladding her small body. Her tail swung back and forth in a lazy fashion, and her eyes showed mild interest. Tullip, according to Maya.

Lucy let her lips stretch in a grin as well, waving after a huff. The brunette waved back, and jumped to her feet, Nadia following suit.

"Holy Anna, you use a lot of different magic _and _you are an expert at melee combat. I could learn some stuff from you, Luce," she complimented, grinning at Loke as aknowledgement. He smiled.

"Not exactly an expert, period," Lucy corrected, smiling sheepishly, "I've only started training three months ago."

"Still, you're very good. Maybe just as good as Ivy."

"Quick question, holy Anna?" Lucy repeated, curious. Maya smirked.

"Anna Fitzherbert, the founder of Dragon Claw," she said, "Who was the founder of Fairy Tail?"

"Mavis Vermillion."

"Huh, I know her," she said, suddenly impressed, "She's super smart and her calculation never fails."

"Yeah, but she's sort of dead," Lucy blurted, clearing her throat, and smiled, "Hello, Tullip."

The ginger Exceed smiled, nodding, "I finally get to meet you, Lucy. Maya talks a lot about you."

"Does she now?" Lucy teased, raising an eyebrow with a grin. Maya rolled her eyes.

"Anywho… you definitely are strong."

"Thank you, but I think 'stronger than Ivy' isn't fitting for me," she said, but smiled slightly, "Yet."

Maya shrugged.

"You seem to be. There's only one way of finding that out, though," she said, smirking slyly. Tullip's eyes went wide.

"Which is?"

"I'll leave the splash zone now," Tullip muttered. Her wings, alike to Happy's and the other Exceeds Lucy had met, burst from her back, and she quickly flew away to where Virgo was. Lucy frowned at the panicky face she had when leaving.

Maya grinned, and the next thing Lucy knew was that she had a midget brunette charging at her with a glowing green hand. The blonde gasped in surprise when she pinned her to the ground, and smirked back at her.

"We fight, of course," Maya stated, fist inches away from Lucy's face. _Now _she understood why Tullip wanted to leave.

"You're on," she declared, eyes glinting, "Urano Caeli! Whirlwind Fist!"

Lucy erupted her fist in the loyal winds of Aeolus, knocking Maya quite far in the field. The brunette panted while getting up from the green – her gray top was already torn and dirtied at some spots by the attack, her flared skirt ripped at the side and ruining the blue polka dot pattern. She grinned, cracking her knuckles.

"Seismic Fist of the Earth Dragon!" she yelled, and punched the ground with all her might.

Lucy frowned, but upon the wide gaps forming on the ground and unexplicable earthquake, she gasped, and jumped as high as she could.

"Urano Caeli!" she chanted, and spread her arms, "Fly Diversion: Enchant!"

The air lifted her up from the cracked and trembling ground, isolating her from the danger. Loke, Virgo and Tullip however, were not in an advantage. Lucy caught them struggling to keep steady on the dangerous earthquake, and waved her hand in their direction, thought Tullip just flew up with her wings.

"Enchant!" she called, and both her spirits were supported by the cold arms of the Wind, clothes and hairs oscillating lightly.

"Thanks, Lucy."

Tullip sighed, crossing her arms, "You always go overboard, Maya…"

Maya removed her fist from the ground, consequently stopping the earthquake. She pouted at Lucy's resolve. Lucy smiled, and propped her knuckles just as she had a few seconds ago.

"Strength of the Thornado! Fly: Speed Boost!"

The celestial mage threw herself at Maya, pouncing on her with her fists engulfed in miniature hurricanes. Maya managed to slide away from her, jumping from an edge to another. Now, an ample crack stood between them. The Earth mage grinned at Lucy's scowl.

"Roar of the Earth Dragon!"

Maya arched her back for leverage, and with a deep intake of breath, shot a whirlwind of vivid green at Lucy. She flinched – it looked it could damage _a lot._ When it neared her enough, she casted Urano Caeli once again, with all the power she could muster.

"Urano Caeli! Vortex: Absorbent!"

Growling, Lucy felt the force of Maya's attack being withdrawn by the Wind, but it was so strong that her feet dug more cracks into the ground, marking her steps. The Roar was so vigorous that the band in her hair flew away, allowing the gold locks to float free in the violent shudders of their magic clashing. Eventually, Lucy had managed to nullify Maya's attack, albeit left panting heavily and with the lightest bruises on her cheeks and exposed skin. As the smoke from their magic's collision faded, Lucy saw Maya with wide emerald eyes and her jaw threatning to fall to the ground.

"No one…" she started, in a breathless, astounded tone, "… has ever managed to stop my Roar."

Lucy felt flattered, but she was still exhausted. Exhaling with a shudder, she fell to her knees, gripping the ground as the world spun around her. Maya immediately managed to turn the forest back to normal, the gaps regenerating into land as she hopped through all of them, to get to Lucy. Loke and Virgo also had felt her spell go inane around them, and they landed on the ground with the sole intent of checking on their mistress, Tullip not far behind.

"You okay, Luce?" Maya inquired, kneeling over her. Lucy nodded, and straightened herself on the lawn with a hand to her forehead.

"Here," Loke said, and handed her a bottle of water. Lucy popped the lid open, and drank a lavishing amount of water, leaving the contents just below the half mark.

"I'm good," she reassured, huffing as she stood up, "It's just that the spell took a lot of my strength."

"Even though you borrow the magic from the gods above, it still draws power from you, Princess," Virgo reminded, "You haven't _fully _mastered the Wind. Perhaps this was one of the few steps you have left to do so."

"Well, holy shit."

The five perked up at the gruff voice coming from the trees, and as the figure stepped into view, Lucy gasped in shock. His long and bristly black hair, bulky figure and studded face were way too recognizable. The Exceed too wasn't easy to mistake.

Gajeel and Lily.

He didn't hold that usual grouchy mood, but a pair of wide red eyes and a stunned reaction. He might as well have been watching the whole fight unfurl. Lucy couldn't even speak, and Loke was quite worried to see him. Maya however, noticed the fear in Lucy's eyes and the shock emanating from Loke, and glared at him.

"I don't know who you are or how you found this forest, but you won't hurt Lucy."

Before Gajeel could even respond, Maya was charging at him.

"Maya, don't!" Lucy and Tullip yelled, in a hoarse voice, but it was too late.

"Wing Slash of the Earth Dragon!"

Gajeel was a bit taken aback, before he grinned, thrilled.

"I don't know who you are either, but damn midget, you've got spank," he said, and launched forward, "Club of the Iron Dragon!"

Maya groaned when the long hard club hit her stomach, but after a boost of confidence, she jumped over the metal, using her hands as support. Gajeel raised his brow when she started running steadily on his club, cracking her knuckles.

"Do not," she growled, green eyes glowing with power and slitting typically like a Dragon Slayer during a battle, "call me _midget._"

She held her fist in the air, guild mark evident to Gajeel's eyes.

"Impact of the Earth Dragon!"

He grunted when her small fist made contact with his jaw, striking off with an incredible force – enough to make him fly against a tree. He spat to his left, cracking his knuckles and readying himself to dash forward, to Maya. He was about to follow his plan as the short girl erupted in green, glaring at him, if it weren't for Lucy standing in the middle of the battlefield.

"Stop it!" she commanded, and glanced at Maya over her shoulder, "Maya, he's not an enemy."

"But… you looked scared!" she retorted. Lucy shook her head.

"I was shocked to find him here," she explained, and then turned to Gajeel, who had gotten up, "Speaking of whom, what _are _you doing here, Gajeel?"

"On a mission with Lily and that's all you need to know," he said, gruffily, "What are _you _doing here, Bunny Girl?"

Lucy froze in her spot, her hands fistening as her jaw went stiff. Her voice was raspy and was hinted with fury and sadness at the same time when she answered.

"I went through with my plan."

While Gajeel raised his brow in what seemed curiosity and a slimmer of admiration, Maya frowned at Loke.

"Her plan?" she asked. He frowned his lips.

"Gajeel was one of the few to didn't ignore her, and also the first one she told she was thinking of leaving to become stronger," he explained, "That's probably the plan she's talking about."

"Good for you, Bunny Girl," Gajeel said, but then crossed his arms, "But I've got bad news for ya."

"Bad news?" she questioned, with a frown. He nodded.

"Natsu and the rest know you're gone."

Lucy felt such a dawning surge of panic she had never felt before, upon hearing those words. She bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut with her arms tightly crossed over her chest. She didn't even know if that was supposed to be good, or bad. She then looked back at him, cocoa eyes narrowed.

"And?" she breathed, "How did they react?"

Gajeel parted his lips, ready to tell her she should just grow a pair and go back to Fairy Tail because the brat missed her greatly. But knowing of Natsu's selfishness, Lucy's time of pain and the guild's ignorance, he reckoned this plan of hers would only help her if she was left in the dark.

"Natsu's fucking glad you're gone," he spat, avoiding her eyes, "The guild said, and I'll quote: it's a relief to have that nuisance away from us."

Maya's eyes went wide as her fists tightened, Loke glared at Gajeel in disbelief, and Lucy… Lucy didn't waver. She stood on her feet in pride, knuckles so white from the nail digging in her palms. Only Gajeel saw her tears pouring down her cheeks, her teeth gritting in frustration and body trembling with withheld sobs.

"Is that so?" she hiccuped, but she sounded firm, "Well, me too."

Gajeel narrowed his eyes, gulping ever so slightly. He was the reason of those tears, but it was for her own good. Lily only glanced at him, then at Tullip (who was glaring at him for some reason), and then back at him. He was clearly bewildered.

"You've got a mission to finish," she reminded. Gajeel raised his chin, and nodded.

"Good luck, Bunny Girl," he said, and then grinned, "You're on the right track. Gihi."

He turned, Lily hopping on his shoulder, and both disappeared into the forest. The moment they were gone, Lucy fell to her knees, and Maya, Tullip and her spirits were around the hiccupping girl.

"Lucy…" Loke said. His tone was specked with anger and worry.

"Luce," Maya embraced her, allowing the blonde to cry into the crook of her neck.

"I shouldn't be crying, I shouldn't be crying," she chanted through sobs, but the tears rolling down her flushed cheeks betrayed her words.

"I could murder them right now," Loke muttered at Virgo. The pinkette frowned, looking down with a hint of sadness.

Lucy spent what seemed hours crying in Maya's arms, gripping her denim jacket and shaking wildly. After that long period of tears, she sniffled, withdrawing from the brunette's arms, who was staring at her with care and worry. Lucy made up her mind right then and there.

"You know what, Maya?" she said, voice broken, "Take me to Dragon Claw."

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**The HORROR. Well, not a horror to me. But a horror to Natsu and you guys. Don't worry, if you liked Maya and Ivy so far, you'll love Dragon Claw. Even though I agree that Lucy belongs with Fairy Tail. But you'll have to see what happens.**

**Tell me what you think of the ultimate events in a REVIEW. Or I'll kill Lucy. I can do that – trust me, I can be worse than George R. R. Martin.**


	9. New Comrades

**Oof, I managed an upload. I warned you, I've been having quite the busy schedule, and it will continue from day 8 to 24 of this month. Don't worry, I'll still keep writing.**

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The moment Lucy stepped a foot inside the cottage of Dragon Claw, she knew, for some reason, that she'd love being there. Be it temporary or not, she just knew she'd be safe there. Maya and Ivy were trustworthy friends, even if she had only met them recently, and all of the faces she was greeted with were not unfriendly or hostile. Like another Fairy Tail, but less boisterous.

The cottage was large but not like Fairy Tail, since it was a reclusive guild that never liked to stand out. The main colors of the walls, stools, tables and everything were shades of brown, giving off a very welcoming and warm first look. All different people she saw never held sadness in their faces. With a smile and dry eyes, the blonde followed an ecstatic Maya over the bar, where Ivy stood, around a few more chatting mages. Tullip flew over their heads with a smile, landing next to another Exceed with gray fur and same pattern as hers, but it seemed to be male by the sharp green eyes and little blue tie. Jack. He seemed to strike off as intelectual and his thin glasses only proved that theory. Next to Ivy and talking with said water mage avidly, was a boy around Lucy's age, with sleek brown hair and eyes bluer than Ivy's. He wore a dark blue vest over a white turtle neck, along with common jeans and simple dark sneakers. He seemed to be calm, yet friendly.

"Welcome to Dragon Claw!" Maya said, twirling in her feet with a grin, "Again."

Both guys spun their heads at Maya's words, and Ivy immediately smirked upon seeing Lucy.

"Finally decided to join us, eh?" he said, propping himself from the stool. The brunet beside him mimicked the gesture, smiling widely at Lucy.

"I'm Sam, Sam Shilga," he said, and grinned, "I have the feeling I've seen you before."

Lucy laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"Huh, probably from Sorcerer's Weekly magazine…" she muttered, but before anyone could answer, she spoke up, "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. It seems to be a nice guild!"

"It sure is!" Tullip agreed, landing on Lucy's head with a grin. The Exceed trusted her already, and it made Lucy feel proud. A smile went up her lips.

"I'm gonna go get Master Danny for you to talk about joining us," Maya cut in, and disappeared behind a nearby door – probably the Master's office.

"What kind of mage are you, Lucy-chan?" Sam inquired. Lucy was a bit taken aback by the sudden honorific, but decided she paid it no mind.

"I'm a celestial mage, both holder and caster."

He raised an eyebrow at this, eyeing Ivy. The water mage simply grinned.

"I didn't know there was more than one type."

"Well, me neither, until three months ago," she said, frowning, "It's pretty impressive, though."

"I believe you," he said, winking. Lucy rolled her eyes playfully, grinning, and Ivy did the same.

"To answer your implied question: I don't like playboys," she informed, and crossed her arms with a pinkish blush on her cheeks, "And I'm sort of taken."

She said the latter so lowly that it was barely audible over the loud voices in the guild, but Sam heard it nonetheless. He raised his brow, smirking.

"_Sort _of taken?"

"Long story," she said, curtly. Sam got the message, nodding.

"Anywho, you okay, Lucy?" Ivy questioned, frowning, "You seem less happy than last time."

The blonde cringed at his observation, fiddling with her side braid quietly. She had made a quick stop by her apartment to shower and change from her messy training clothes, and now wore a pair of tight jeans and a striped, black and beige shirt along with her jacket and boots.

"I ran into a comrade of mine from Fairy Tail," she said. Sam looked surprised.

"You were a Fairy Tail mage? Holy cow, that's impressive."

"Her best friend from there is well known too," Ivy added, smirking. Lucy pouted at him, blushing scarlet.

"Who?" Sam asked. She bit her lip.

"… Natsu Dragneel."

"Holy Anna!" he exclaimed, with wide blue eyes, "That guy is one heck of a Dragon Slayer, I tells ya."

Lucy chortled at Sam's temporary lack of class in his manner of speech, deciding she enjoyed this side of him more. She also noticed how he refrained from asking her the reasons as to why she left, and felt rather relieved at his respectful approach.

"What about you, Sam, what magic do you use?" she asked.

"I'm a snow mage," he said, and smiled, "But I'm nothing compared to my sister."

"Your sister?"

At her question, the thin doors of the lively cottage spread open, and a small blonde girl with an abstracted expression entered, an azure tinted book in her tiny arms. She had sapphire blue eyes that displayed no emotion and her hair was sleek to her hips, brushing over her white hoodie jacket and black flared skirt. Her small feet were carrying a pair of dark blue flats. Sam smiled, gesturing his thumb in the short girl's direction.

"That girl," he said, "Is my sister, Eira. She's an Ice Make mage and part of the S-Class group."

Lucy felt her jaw go slack. That miniature of a girl was a S-Class mage? She looked barely over fifteen and quite the fragile one.

"She's only fourteen," Ivy said, as if reading her mind, "But she's really powerful."

"That's… kind of hard to believe," she said. Sam nodded.

"Reasonable. But you shouldn't judge people by their book covers," he quoted, smiling at her. Lucy sighed, nodding with a smile of her own.

"Why, I didn't think I'd be seeing you again, honey."

Lucy blinked, confused at the voice resounding behind the pair of boys, and turned to the bar counter. Smiling kindly at Lucy and cleaning a translucid glass with a white cloth, was that same blonde woman she had poured her heart out to in the first days of her staying in the capital. She grinned, stepping closer to her.

"You work here, Ellia-san?"

"This is my main job," Ellia replied, "I only work at that café to keep my money balanced."

"But to think you work at a guild…" Lucy trailed, and smiled gently, "Thanks again."

The woman shook her head, that smile still there and dense in motherly care.

"Don't thank me, dear. I'm glad I could help."

"You know her?" Ivy asked Lucy. She nodded.

"She was the first one to hear about that whole drama with Natsu and Fairy Tail. I was really emotional that day and she was kind enough to listen to me, I really appreciated it," the blonde glanced at Ellia with a warm smile, which was positively retrieved.

"Speaking of which," Ivy began, frowning, "You said you ran into an old comrade of yours."

Lucy's smile unfortunately died faster than a rose in the middle of a hot desert. He was a little sorry for having it happen, but he wanted to hear the story.

"Yeah… Gajeel and his Exceed, Lily," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact, "They were here on a mission. Not sure if they're already gone from the capital or just starting their mission."

"Gajeel Redfox," Ivy said, crossing his arms, "Was he ever bad to you or something?"

"Well… before he joined Fairy Tail he was a completely different guy. He was involved in a mission of an old guild, Phantom Lord, which was to capture me and retrieve me to my father," Lucy explained, and shrugged, "Sure, he hurt me at the time, but now we're on good terms. He's one of the few who's helped me through being ignored."

"One of the few?"

"There was Master, of course, Gajeel, Laxus, and I must say Wendy and Romeo talked to me. Poor Wendy didn't know what was going on, why the others suddenly didn't aknowledge my existence."

Ivy's lips squirmed, his icy eyes unreadable.

"For your information, during the time of your staying in Dragon Claw, that will never happen to you," he assured, crossing his arms with narrowed eyes, "You'll never be ignored, Lucy."

"All has been said," Sam agreed, smiling gently at the blonde.

She smiled, nodding. Those words felt nice in her ears.

"Thank you."

"You're more than welcome," Ivy said, smirking.

Lucy glanced around the packed cottage, taking in the way it felt slightly claustrophobic. Why was Dragon Claw so secluded, anyway? Had the guild done something they shouldn't have? Were they hiding from someone?

"Why are you guys hidden so deep in the forest?" she asked, absent mindedly, but then added sheepishly, "I'm just curious."

"Master Danny refuses to tell us," a female voice spoke, and Lucy saw little Eira stepping to her brother's side. Her voice was like tinkling bells to Lucy, laced with sugary honey. Her eyes were surprisingly emotionless, like a doll or a ghost.

"Did something dangerous happen?" Lucy asked. Ivy frowned, blue eyes suddenly serious.

"I'm not sure," he began, in an eerie voice, "But I think something happened between Master Danny and a certain someone, and now he's sort of trying to escape that someone. I don't know any details, but your theory on something dangerous… might be true."

"He never told any of us, or spoke of it for that matter," Sam continued, "But I did a bit of a research. I never figured out any names, but turns out that Master got into a fine mess that put this guild's life at stake. I think, by not standing out, he's trying to protect us."

"For how long have you been hiding?"

"Six years," Eira said. She was now sitting on a stool with her tiny nose buried in her book, long blonde hair disguising her like a curtain. It reminded her somewhat of Wendy.

"_That _long?" Lucy said, astonished, "Aren't you all tired of running?"

"To tell the truth, yeah," Ivy confessed, sighing, "We've always wanted to compete in the Grand Magic Games, but Master never allowed us. He's afraid that person might find us."

"What intrigues me is what your Master did," Lucy mumbled, leaning against the counter, "If he reached the point of having to look over his shoulder for his entire life, what could possibly make him so panicked?"

"Beats me," Ivy blurted, shrugging. The little blonde next to him squirmed in her seat.

"Maybe he killed someone," Eira deadpanned, in a spooky tone. Both boys and Lucy flinched at the accusation.

"Don't go around saying stuff like that, Eira," Sam chastised, glaring at his sister.

"It might be true."

He rolled his eyes at her dull remark, dropping the subjest with a wave of his hand.

"Lucy Heartfilia?"

The blonde turned from the trio of mages, coming face-to-face with an older man. He seemed to be around his thirties, perhaps as old as Gildarts as Lucy assumed, with dishevelled brown hair and solemn emerald green eyes. By the areas his brown cloak didn't cover, she deduced he was strong and a capable mage. She just wasn't expecting him to be this young. Most guild masters were over fifty years old.

"Yes."

"I'm Master Daniel," he said, and held out his hand for her to shake it, "You may come into my office to discuss your staying."

Lucy nodded, following the man after glancing at Ivy, Sam, Eira and Maya, who had just arrived. She went past the same door Maya had a few minutes ago, entering a small office with a thin wooden bookshelf (filled with books to the brim), an old desk that was barely visible under the endless stacks of paper and a window just behind the black chair. She heard Master Daniel faintly closing the door, and they were met with silence.

"You wish to enter our guild?" he inquired, eyeing her. She nodded.

"It's only temporary, though," she added, fiddling with her fingers, "To keep my finances stable and until I… until I go back to the guild I truly belong to."

He blinked, simply staring at her with crossed arms and indecipherable eyes, before his lips stretched a smile and his stare lost that severe hint.

"Maya has told me everything," he said, in a less uptight tone, "And you may be part of Dragon Claw for as long as you want. You may call me Master Danny as well."

"Really?" Lucy questioned, chocolate eyes gleaming with excitement. Master Danny nodded.

"You may partake in missions with Ivy and Maya and introduce yourself to others as a mage of this guild, but you mustn't leave the capital."

Lucy frowned at his suddenly invulgar tone. She was about to ask why such demand, but the look in his eyes displayed a mix of fear and yet bravery. Gulping slightly, she nodded.

"I understand why you must feel curious," he said, lowly, "But this guild hides for a reason. Letting you become one of us is already a sacrifice. If it wasn't for Maya's interest in you, I don't think I'd be able to let you in."

Lucy pursed her lips as she took in the information.

"I assume it's something dangerous," she muttered, and studied the packed shelf with narrowed eyes, "But I assure you, Master Danny, that I'm no damsel in distress. Whatever threatens this guild, I will fight it and protect you all."

"You don't have to go that far," he opposed, frowning in worry. Lucy shook her head.

"You have all welcomed me with open arms," she reminded, determination surfacing in her chestnut irises, "This is the least I can do."

Master Danny narrowed his eyes, still seemingly stubborn. Lucy could hear the faint ticking of the clock on the wall, over the silence – it was so tense that Lucy could chop it with a butter knife.

"Very well then," he finally approved, "I'll only let this slide because I believe in Maya's words on how you are a powerful mage. You may go to Ellia to get your mark and make it official."

Lucy nodded once again, smiling slightly at Master as she hurriedly left the office to meet up with the gang at the bar. They immediately brightened up at Lucy's smile, taking it as a good sign.

"He let you in?" Ivy asked, and high-fived the blonde when she nodded merrily, "Yes!"

"Of course he let her in," Maya said, smirking as she casually swung an arm around Lucy's shoulders, "I asked him personally. He could never refuse me, especially when Luce over here is an awesome mage _and _an awesome person."

"Thanks for that, then," Lucy said, grinning at the short brunette, "I'm glad."

"I'd do anything to make you one of us," Maya guaranteed, and both girls bumped fists with bright grins on their faces, "You're a heck of a mage and Dragon Claw is in need of someone like you."

"Huh, I'm flattered," the blonde said, raising an eyebrow with that persistent grin, "But I can be quite the devil when I'm mad. Just warning you."

"I find that hard to believe when we have Maya and Rue," Sam muttered, smirking slightly. Lucy ignored the brawl Maya started with Sam and turned to Ivy.

"Rue?"

"Ruanne Mauvellie. One of our Animal Soul mages," he clarified, and grimaced quite funnily, "You don't wanna mess with her."

_Sounds like Erza or Mira-san, _Lucy thought, amused.

"Tell me more," she requested, smiling, "Who are your S-Class mages?"

"There's Eira Shilga, as you already know," he began listing off, counting with his fingers, "Peter Evans, our Time Arc mage, our Arc of Embodiment is Aiden Reyes, the other Animal Soul is James Carter and the two Requip mages are twins, Sarah and Garret Yale."

"I'm impressed," Lucy confessed, exhaling sharply with wide eyes, "Fairy Tail only has three S-Class mages… imagine Fiore's reaction if they ever realize Dragon Claw exists."

"Yeah," Ivy agreed, "If Master Danny ever stops hiding."

"He will," Lucy ensured, smiling in her cheerful manner, "I know he will."

"Lucy-chan," Ellia called, approaching the pair after setting down a washed plate behind the bar. She carried a dark brown stamp, and Lucy knew very well of its purpose.

"Might it be temporary, but we're going to enjoy having you here, Lucy-chan," Sam assured, smiling widely at the celestial mage. She retrieved the gesture, before staring at the stamp in hesitation.

"Where do you want the mark, sweetie?" the blonde barmaid asked, smiling.

Lucy bit her lip, pondering on the question. She would never put it in her right hand – her trusty Fairy Tail mark was waiting for her to return, and she wasn't going to spoil its rightful place. But she wanted it somewhere similar, though.

"Um…" she mumbled, and then an idea surged, "My left hand?"

That was good. The same, yet the opposite.

"Okay, which color?"

That question had her hesitate even further. She had decided to quit the frilly and pink, to look mature and to grow up. Pink was definitely out of question. How about blue?... No. It would remind her too much of her old outfit. Purple? Purple… she held no objection to that. Lucy was about to request for such color, outstretching her arm, but then she eyed the mark carefully. A swirling spiky tail, a pair of scaly wings and a menacing junction of sharp teeth – a _dragon._

Before she could even think straight, her mouth labelled the words for her as her cheeks went aflame with the color she had chosen.

"Red."

* * *

**Hmn… Master Danny is hiding something. What do you think he did?**

**And Lucy chose **_**red**_**. God Luce, you're such a cutie. You're head over heels for Natsu… and so is he but the son of a unicorn hasn't realized it yet.**

**And all of you, loosen up. Yes, Lucy belongs with Natsu and Fairy Tail, but just as she said, it's temporary and to help her keep her finances stable. You know that once, in the anime, Lucy explained that it's hard to get jobs for a solo mage. Joining Dragon Claw is entirely for her benefit.**

**REVIEW. OR I'LL GET MAD. YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE ME MAD.**


	10. The Fire in my Heart

**Sorry, for the delay, but I warned you. Also, IMPORTANT WARNING: search for the song Atlas by Faux Tales. I seriously advise you to listen to it while you read the paragraphs 31 and the second time something similar happens (COUGH-Maya and Lucy-COUGH). Those parts are too awesome and the song is too awesome, so seriously listen to it while you read it.**

* * *

Lucy sighed when the strong magic she had felt seconds ago began subsiding back into her body. She had been trying to get the hang of Aestus Mercurius again, but such level of power was difficult to achieve. She hated to admit it, but Maya was at fault for her troubles with the Fire. Once interrupted, winning back the element's trust was harder than trying to put together a thousand shattered pieces of a femur.

"Again, I am so, so, _so _sorry Luce," Maya mumbled, pouting. Lucy giggled. She was starting to remind her a lot of Natsu.

"It's alright, Maya," she said, shaking her head, "I'll eventually get it's trust back."

"That's going to be hard, period," Loke cut in, frowning, "They're probably frowning at you from…"

He stilled at Lucy's glare and Maya's scowl, covering his interruption with a cough and a nervous laugh. Ivy raised an eyebrow at the scene.

The four were in Lucy's favorite clearing of the Forest Groove, Maya sprawled on the grass and Ivy sitting cross legged as Lucy tried to reign Aestus Mercurius once again. It was rather intriguing to watch her attempt at Fire's trust, but she was unfortunately failing. Had Maya not interrupted the blonde on the previous month of their meeting, she would have Fire in her domain. Ivy could only frown, somewhat sad as Lucy sighed from another failed attempt.

"Lucy," Loke called, in an inquisitive tone, "This just came to my mind, but… what were you thinking of when you mastered those other three spells?"

Lucy blinked, and swiftly switched her legs to sit on the same manner as Ivy's.

"Well… for Sano Terram, I thought about forests, woods, flowers, animals, anything to do with nature," she explained. Loke nodded, but he seemed unconvinced.

"But Sano Terram is mostly about healing injuries and all that," he retorted, "Did you consider that?"

"Of course I did. I also thought of…" Lucy began, and then her chocolate brown eyes widened as she saw his point, "… Wendy."

Loke smiled, and nodded as if for her to go on. Maya had stopped playing with Tullip and focused entirely on Lucy, noting the sudden change of atmosphere.

"For Venus Lucem, I thought of you, Loke," she said, ignoring his smirk, "For Urano Caeli… well, Wendy crossed my mind again."

"Maybe that's why Sano Terram and Urano Caeli are most affilliated to each other," he suggested, "Because you think of one person for both."

"And to master Aestus Mercurius… you must think about the first person that comes to your mind when you hear the word _fire_," Ivy concluded, raising his brow in astonishment.

Lucy felt her eye twitch when Maya burst out in laughter and Loke began humming teasingly. Ivy, gladly, just smirked slightly. The blonde glared at all of them, raising an eyebrow.

"Thanks a lot. Choke on yourselves," she muttered, face burning with red from embarrassment. Maya rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Luce," she said, grinning slyly, "Your heart is yearning for _fire_. Gotta follow your heart."

"That's her catchphrase, for some ballooney reason," Ivy pointed out, raising his eyebrow.

"Shut up, you son of a whale."

"You don't tell me what to do, wife of the almighty troll."

"Seriously. You couldn't come up with something better, _mermaid_?"

"Mer_man_, if you please."

"How about no?"

"I think it's time you go back underground, anteater."

Lucy glared at the two Dragon Slayers, frowning her lips.

"I think it's time you both _shut up _so that I can think," she warned, her eyes suddenly reminding Loke too much of Erza. He gulped.

"I think you might want to do that before she rips your throat off," Loke whispered in Ivy's ear. The blue haired mage coughed nervously, nudging Maya's shoulder with his own. She glared at him, about to throw another insult, but Lucy's glare told her otherwise and she let her words drown in her own saliva.

"Okay. Good, some silence," she muttered, and inhaled deeply, slowly closing her eyes.

"Don't forget to think about Natsu," Maya blurted, and immediately regretted it.

Despite Lucy's homicidal glare and fuming crimson cheeks, Ivy and Loke couldn't avoid snickering through gritted teeth. Maya grinned, to which Lucy sighed dramatically. Taking a deep breath, the blonde mage closed her eyes, her body once again travelling in that reservoir of serenity that meditating provided. A small frown usurped her face as she focused, focused to the point of breaking in a faint sweat. She worked memories, pictures, laughter, sounds, touches, all in her head, all related to Natsu and his irresistible grin and fiery temper.

Ivy and Maya felt their eyes widen to the size of an owl's when Lucy's body began glowing a flammable red, levitating clothes and golden hairs with the uttermost beauty. She looked like a goddess – the goddess of _fire_. The glow was weak at first, but when Lucy gritted her teeth and leaped up to her feet, her body erupted in such powerful fire that the pair and Loke had to stumble backwards with a yelp, watching as the ardored blaze caught on the vivid leaves and wet grass to form a magic circle at her feet. Slowly, the Fire began kissing its way up her legs, arms, fingers, neck, creating a striking halo of reds and oranges sprouting off Lucy's golden hair. Clothes burned off, flames began spreading around the clearing, and if it weren't for Ivy's barrier of water, him, Maya and Loke would have their legs aching with heat.

Almost like slow motion, Lucy's eyes unveiled open. They gleamed a fierce red, magic characters and designs making their way to her _neck_, as unbelievable as it looked. Her arms spread apart, the Fire almost worshipping her. As she chanted the holy words of such element, her voice was loud and extremely enchanting.

"_In where the gates of Mercury harbor Heat,_

_In my body burns the soul of Fire,_

_Shall my power vent forward, shall it obey my will,_

_The will to fight, the will to protect,_

_The will to win, the will to rule,_

_The will that makes my knowledge burst strong._

_Oh holy Hephaestus, hear my prayer,_

_I shall call your element forth and claim it as my own!_

_AESTUS MERCURIUS!_"

As if the words of the spell were a trigger, fire burst through the whole clearing and beyond in a crisp thirst, yet in an odd beauty. Ivy winced at the unbearable heat, widening and reinforcing his water spell to a dome and standing on his feet to protect Loke and Maya, as well the Exceeds from getting in touch with the fire. Lucy's body was invisible – it was far too consummed by Fire that only her curvy outlines were visible. Maya grimaced, shielding her face with her forearm while Loke kneeled. The proud smirk in his lips was remarkable.

It seemed like eons before the ring of flames was tamed, and when they saw Lucy emerge, she wasn't alone. A man dressed in ancient greek ropes, reddish short beard and tuft of hair matching his element Fire almost perfectly, materiallized before her. Lucy herself had her red plaid button-up shirt and denim shorts singed, and her chestnut eyes were still adorned in those abnormal scripts of magic. She looked brave and fierce, facing the god dead in his scarlet red eyes while the Fire surrounded her to make her resemble a warrior. She truly was one now, as she made eye contact with the god.

Hephaestus.

"Art thou Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla Heartfilia?" he asked, in a loud and superior voice. She stood with her chin raised and pride unwavered.

"I am. I have summoned your holy element, Fire, and wish to possess your wisdom and domain over it," she requested. She sounded more mature and serious this time, not as reluctant as she had been with the other three spells.

Hephaestus eyed her carefully, scanning the damage she had created with just a simple summon, and then met her eyes once again. His own were of a terrifying scarlet red, but Lucy never let her guard down. It seemed to impress him.

"Then my powers are at thy service," he declared, but instead of taking her hand in his burned and calloused one, he held it inches away from her face, "Thou has begun mastering the Fire, Aestus Mercurius, and art bound to this holy embodiment of mine."

Out of his hand, several binds of shimmering red snaked out and slowy wrapped around many parts of Lucy's body – her arms, wrists, thighs, ankles, neck and head. After one last stare at those dragon like eyes, she saw Hephaestus dimly disappear, but the red binds in her flesh only followed until he was entirely gone. Lucy blinked, and her eyes widened at the scathed trees and nature, watching the fire wheeze out from the plants and absorb itself into her hands and arms. As it vanished, her hands almost instantly turned into that familiar shade of green of Sano Terram, to heal the forest back to normal.

Lucy glanced at her palms, surprised at the Cure's willing action, and turned to check on her spirit and friends. While Ivy's pinnacle of water vanished, the trio stared at her as if she had grown a pair of wings and a tail, clothes charred and hairs tousled. Tullip was kneeling on the now once again green grass, wide eyed, and Jack was clearly astonished.

"You… are incredible," Loke breathed, and broke in a wide grin. Maya and Ivy soon followed, and they all began approaching her.

"Luce, that was _awesome_," she emphasized on the latter, holding out her hands in a dramatic gesture. Lucy raised an eyebrow, smiling sheepishly.

"Even though I nearly killed you all?"

"You kidding me? I'm the _Water _Dragon Slayer here, I held it out well," Ivy snorted, and smirked, "But still, I agree with Maya. That was amazing, Lucy."

"Thinking of Natsu helped, huh?" Maya said suggestively. Lucy scowled at her, flushing pink. However, they all grinned when she shyly smiled, looking away.

"Yes, it did," she mumbled, in a sing-song voice. Her blush faded into a curious frown before anyone could tease her, "But I wonder… why did I cause so much damage with Aestus Mercurius when with the other spells I didn't do almost anything?"

Loke frowned his lips, running a hand through his messy mane. Ivy's lips twitched in a slight smirk.

"It's probably because you feel such strong emotions for Natsu," he said, "The Fire must have sensed how devoted you are to him, and turned your feelings into magic."

"That sounds a lot like Fairy Sphere," Lucy mumbled.

"Fairy Sphere?" Maya repeated, curious.

"Fairy Sphere, one of the three Great Magics of the Fairy Tail guild," Jack suddenly piped in, floating over Ivy's head with an intrigued look, "A spell which converts Fairy Tail members' bonds and faith into magic power. The spell protects the guild from any evil, an absolute defense magic, powerful enough to defend against even time. However, the sphere acts as a stasis chamber, a place in which time stops, thus everyone within the sphere is stuck in a frozen state in which they don't age."

"And I present you Jack," Ivy finished dully, raising an eyebrow with a smirk, "He's pretty studious as you can guess."

"And correct," Lucy added, smiling at the gray haired Exceed. Jack smiled back, and settled on top of her blonde head shamelessly. She giggled, fingering his swaying tail.

"I've heard of it," Ivy said, "The Fairy Tail mages that got frozen for seven years, after Acnologia's attack on Tenroujima."

"You were one of them, weren't you, Luce?" Maya asked. Lucy nodded, pursing her lips.

"An experience I hope I never go through again. I lost so much…"

Nobody said a word, the mood falling into an uncomfortable silence. Lucy blinked dazedly at Ivy and Maya's sad frowns, startling the pair of Dragon Slayers with a cheery laugh.

"Hey, don't get all gloomy on me," she scolded playfully, "I promised myself I'd get _two _spells done today."

"Two?!" Loke exclaimed, awestruck, "Lucy, you do realize you'll probably be out of magic for at least three days? It _is _true that the grand spells don't waste a drop of your magic during a battle, but it's spent in this process of mastering them."

Lucy shook her head solemnly.

"I don't care, Loke. I promised myself I'd master them all, and I will. I feel the magic run strong in my veins," she said, stretching her arms to emphasize her words, "I can do this."

The Leo seemed reluctant, fingers fiddling in his hands, but he nodded.

"What spells?"

Lucy bit her lip, signalling she wasn't sure, but then Ivy came up with an idea.

"How about spells that match mine and Maya's magic?" he suggested, "We could meditate with you and help you achieve that required part of your magic faster."

Lucy raised her brow, pleased with the idea, as Maya grinned. Loke smiled, nodding.

"That's a great tactic."

"But won't that affect Lucy's… well, independence related to the spell?" Tullip asked. Lucy's shoulders slumped in defeat at the words, only for her lips to break in a smile when Loke shook his head.

"It only allows her to achieve that certain part of her magic inside her body faster. Mastering the spells is a process done by practicing," he explained, and then smiled widely, "Now, which spells match their magic?"

Lucy nibbled on her inner mouth, kneeling to grab the manual. After turning some pages and thorough reading (also noticing the Aestus Mercurius letters glowing red), she found one that might be fitting for Maya's aid.

Martis Vis, the Mars spell.

_The spell that gathers both strength and properties of the Earth element that is most similar to Mars, _it read, _only this time, it is mostly about earth phenomenons and catastrophes related to the violent side of nature. The main attack that may be used is enhanced strength, enough to stop great weight like a heavy building with just one hand. It can also call forth phenomenons like earthquakes._

"The one that may be useful with Maya's help is Martis Vis," she said, gently throwing the book to the ground, "The Strength spell."

"Well, it's related to Earth. Maya will be of use," Ivy commented, smirking slightly. The short brunette hit him in the head, before sitting across from Lucy on the ground.

Both girls joined hands, and after a quick smile sent at each other, emerald green and chocolate brown went unseen. Lucy felt it – Maya's magic power seeping in between their connected hands. Stiffening her back, the blonde pursed her lips as the brunette's magic flowed into her veins, as hers travelled Maya's fingers and arms, and eventually both were engulfed in glows of distict colors. Maya's body erupted in an entrancing green while Lucy's turned to a golden brown. Their hands squeezed harder, expressions going tense as the magic level began growing, and just like Aestus Mercurius, hairs and clothes oscillated gently as the power reached the point of pouring out of each other's bodies.

Ivy and Loke watched Maya and Lucy slowly surge from the grass, fiercely grabbing one another's arms and pressing foreheads. The magic ranges in the air were rising noticeably, and it was surprising for the magic to already be achieved this soon. Maya's colaboration was definitely a boost.

And then, their eyes opened. They stared into each other's pair of orbs, Lucy seeing glimmering green and Maya fixating on golden brown patterns encripted in cocoa eyes. On cue, the whole land shifted, breaking in rampant trembles and wide cracks appearing beneath the girls' feet. The earth breaking was a problem to spectators though, and Loke took Ivy and the Exceeds far away from Lucy's summoning, yet close enough to see it happening.

Lucy and Maya withdrew foreheads, hands tightly joined as they arched their backs to enhance the magic dancing around them, only to make the glows brighten. Lucy's face gleamed with determination.

"_Strength of ten men, strength of a thousand beasts,_

_Mars, thou who holds the mystery of power,_

_I wish to see your touch, and to possess your touch,_

_To consumme it and let it consumme,_

_As my fists guide my battles and my power goes berserk,_

_With Strength nestled deep in my soul._

_I summon the holy Kratos and the wise Ares,_

_I beg to tame your power and inherit it,_

_To make me utterly unstoppable!_

_MARTIS VIS!"_

The fierce earthquake and thick gashes on the ground were starting to become life threatning for Ivy and the rest of the viewers, and when they inwardly admitted they might get hurt, two figures appeared before the girls. They stepped back slightly from each other, but still joined hands to keep the magic running. One was a bulky figured man, reminding Lucy a lot of Elfman, but he instead had a short, dark brown beard and unruly hair, eyes narrowed and darker than oblivion. The pale robes were long and only covered his body from the hips down, showing the rippled muscles that symbolized Strength. The other, however, didn't wield any of those white ropes Lucy had been seeing. Instead, he was clad in an armor of gold and copper that covered all of his traits except his strong legs, his dark eyes glaring at her through the carefully built helmet. Upon their arrival, the dangerous earthquake calmed down and the cracks thinned.

Kratos and Ares, the gods of Strength and War.

"Art thou Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla Heartfilia?" Kratos inquired, in a low and thick voice.

"Yes, I am. I have summoned your Strength, and wish to possess your wisdom and domain over it," she half-repeated the words she had said to Hephaestus. Lucy wasn't sure, but she could swear she saw a hint of a smirk under the layers of beard of Kratos.

"Then our powers are at thy service," Ares declared, through the metal in his head, "Thou has begun mastering Strength, Martis Vis, and art bound to this pair of holy embodiments."

They did the same gesture as Hephaestus, and Maya released Lucy's hand when strings of golden and brown magic began envelloping the same body parts as Aestus Mercurius, especially around her fingers and hands areas. To the brunette's relief, the aura of magic she had conjured for Lucy had faded into the blonde, not herself, marking the union as successful.

The pair of gods then disappeared, the disaster previously created now sated. Lucy eyed the glimmering binds vanishing from her body, smiling at yet another spell in mastering process. When she looked up to Maya, that smile stretched into a grin, and she couldn't help but pull the petite girl into a tight hug. Maya laughed wholeheartedly as both danced lightly around the grass, holding onto each other.

"I knew it was going to work!" Ivy said, laughing when the two girls tackled him to the ground.

The three fell to the grass in fits of laughter and joy, Loke and the Exceeds smiling at the scene before them. Lucy wrapped her arms around Ivy in the same tight hug she had given Maya, grinning so widely she feared her cheeks would rip open.

"Thank you, Ivy!" she exclaimed, and hung one arm around the brunette beside her to hug both of them, "And you, Maya! Mavis, if it weren't for you two… I don't know where I'd be."

"You don't have to thank us," Maya assured, winking. Lucy grinned even more.

"One to go, though," Ivy reminded, and squirmed to get Lucy's manual. She grabbed it, smiling at the glowing brown and golden letters of Martis Vis, and searched for a spell that could befit Ivy's element.

She was a little disappointed in seeing that there was no spell for water, but ice. Water was a component of ice, but by the way it was described, it seemed there was an easier way of achieving that side of her magic and it wasn't by combining her power with Ivy's.

Neptuno Glacie. The Neptune spell.

"The Ice spell. It can lower temperatures and control the element Ice itself, and it can be easily compared to Ice Make magic. The caster can, for example, solidify the ground or summon a blizzard, or even shape weapons with the ice," she read.

Ivy frowned, fixing his position on the ground to sit cross legged.

"I don't get it," Lucy said, frowning, "According to Greek Mythology, Neptune is the God of the Seas, not ice."

"Like you said, _mythology,_" Loke piped in, "It isn't necessarily correct. The names are, somehow, but their domains and magic are slightly off the charts."

"Water isthe element Ice," Ivy stated, "But by the description… I think an Ice Make mage would be much easier for you."

"That's what I thought," she said, frowning slightly.

"Why don't you ask Eira?" Maya suggested. Ivy secretly grimaced, but remained silent, looking uncertain.

"Well, it won't kill me to try," Lucy shrugged, aware of how the petite ice mage was isolated from the world.

The trio, after Loke vanished back into the Spirit World and along with the Exceeds, headed back to Dragon Claw with the sole intention of requesting Eira's help. All of their clothes were still burned and disproportional, but they were about to witness an Ice summoning – it wasn't long before they got them freezing cold. Bending over tree branches and on fast steps, they got to the cottage of the guild, waving their hands to swiftly greet those who aknowledged their presence.

"She's probably in the library," Ivy voiced, and Lucy was guided by the two Slayers to the second floor of the guild.

"She's _always _in the library," Maya deadpanned, rolling her eyes. Ivy ignored her.

They quickly headed for the small library, and when the doors were pushed open, they confirmed Ivy's prediction. She was always in the library, just as Maya had said. Upon their rackety arrival, Eira gently glanced at them, only to go back to her tome of a book. Lucy inhaled slowly, stepping forward to approach the younger girl. A kind and polite smile was drawn to her lips, as if to lure her. Ivy and Maya watched expectantly, both aware of Eira's slightly cold character.

"Hello, Eira," Lucy greeted, tilting her head in curiosity, "What are you reading?"

"The dictionary," she stated bluntly. Maya was about to break in hysterical laughter, thinking why on Earthland she was reading that, but Lucy's warning stare stopped her intentions. Instead, she covered her giggle with a cough, feeling Ivy's incoming smirk.

"Why, may I ask?" Lucy inquired, and pulled out a stool to sit on, "Are you writing something?"

"Just because."

Ivy raised his eyebrows while Maya frowned, utterly confused and bewildered. Who grabbed the dictionary and decided to read the _whole _thing for no reason?

"Ah… I see you're just thirsty for knowledge," Lucy mumbled, and before the smaller blonde could retort anything, she went for the kill, "Say, Eira… I have a favor to ask you."

At her mere raise of an eyebrow, Lucy breathed in, and conjured a pleading look.

"The magic I use is called the Grand Spells of the Solar System, but I haven't mastered them all," she began explaining, "It takes an awful lot of time and meditation for my mind to find the the magic within me necessary to master the spells, but I learned today that, if I colaborate with a fellow mage whose magic is similar to the spell's, I can find that part of my magic much faster."

Eira just stared at her, with those doll like eyes and vacant expression. Lucy bit her lip.

"The spell I'm trying to master is called Neptuno Glacie, and is an Ice spell. It says in the description, in the manual, that it can be easily compared to Ice Make magic. So…" she gulped, clearing her throat, "What I'm trying to say here is… will you help me?"

Eira blinked, leisurely closing the heavy dictionary. When she jumped from her stool, Lucy felt a slimmer of hope in her chest, until the short blonde just walked by her without so much as a glance. Only the word that doomed her.

"No."

* * *

**Stupid Eira, who won't help Lucy. What to you think? Why doesn't Eira want to help? Tell me your opinions, PEPS.**

**REVIEW. I'm running out of threats. Oh wait, no – if you don't review, I'll stop uploading chapters and I'll keep writing them just to piss you off. EHEH.**


	11. A Cold Past and the Power of Bonds

**SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT! I told you I have a lot going on, but I haven't given up on this fic, no freaking way.**

**Also, a special thanks to KuroiAoiShishio for beta reading.**

* * *

"Stupid Eira, who won't help Luce," Maya growled, stuffing her face with french fries.

"It's alright," Lucy assured, fingering the straw on her fizzy drink, "I can understand why. I just joined the guild, she doesn't trust me yet."

"That's not an excuse," Ivy spat, eyes narrowed, "She's seen how we all get along with you and that your magic aura feels anything but dark. Now, she's just being a cunt."

"Ivy," Lucy chastised, "She doesn't want to help, and you don't need to call her that, she's only fourteen."

"Doesn't matter!" Maya hissed. Suddenly, her hand smacked their lunch table at the guild hall, startling many mages at her outburst.

"Sheesh, Maya," Tulip whispered, scowling. The ginger Exceed was ignored.

"She's being a fuckin' brat!" Maya shouted, almost purposefully.

Lucy winced when her voice came out in a sing-song tone.

"Keep it down, she's going to hear you!" Lucy hissed, a glare in her cocoa eyes. Boy, Maya was starting to seem like a female version of Natsu to Lucy. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to feel relieved or panicked.

"I don't give a damn, I'm getting you a microphone," Ivy snorted. There was something evil in Maya's grin that put Lucy uneasy.

"Look, guys," Lucy sighed, "I really appreciate you defending me and all, but you of all people know how Eira is. From what I've seen, she seems to be a girl that doesn't rely on her feelings. She just doesn't trust me yet."

Maya pouted, crossing her arms stubbornly, "It's just unfair."

"Life isn't fair, Maya," the blonde stated, shrugging as she bit down on the delicious hamburger Ellia had prepared for her.

She grimaced when encountering cold meat and bread, a scowl on her face. It probably had gone cold while the trio discussed. Lucy eyed the burger for a second, before her lips rounded and she blew hotly on the food, intending to heat it up. Upon feeling it warm up quite fast beneath her fingers, the mage smirked, and took a bite – now hot and savory on her taste buds. Ivy sputtered at the scene.

"That's one way of using and _respecting_ the Fire," he said, sarcastically. Maya snorted when Lucy stuck out her tongue childishly.

"Go get a mermaid pregnant and then we'll talk."

Maya burst out laughing, nearly choking on her soda when Ivy glared at Lucy. A smirk inched its way up his lips.

"Go ask Dragneel to unleash his _dragon_ on you."

Out of all mages in the hall, Maya was the one that laughed the loudest when Ivy was sent flying to the bar counter – courtesy of Martis Vis.

* * *

"She _refused_?"

Lucy could swear she had never pictured Sam to be this disbelieving. She had come across the snow mage when she was exploring the guild's surroundings, to find him practicing with his magic in yet another clearing of the Forest Groove. His white snow had briefly tapered on the vivid colors of May, before he allowed it to fade back into his hands when he spotted Lucy's presence. They had chatted quietly, and when Lucy touched on the subject of Eira's denial, it looked like Sam's eyes received a bite from a mosquito flying nearby.

"Is it that surprising?" she questioned, frowning. Sam parted his lips, rubbing the back of his head.

"Not surprising, just disappointing," he sighed, slumping his shoulders, "For some reason, my sister has never showed any emotions for many years. She's never smiled, never laughed… we've been all cheering for her to open up sometime, but you saying that she refused to help you…"

Lucy's eyes saddened when Sam ran a hand through his smooth brown hair, as he sat down on the ground.

"I'm worried."

She smiled gently, joining him in the dirt.

"You should be. After all, you're her brother."

He sighed, a melancholic frown overriding his face. Lucy leaned her chin on her knees, a similar expression beginning to show. Eira was definitely the rare teenager, without displaying so much as a hint of happiness or sadness. It was difficult to read a teen's mind, even more so with a character like hers. But if even her brother wasn't aware of why she acted so indifferent, how could Lucy understand why Eira wasn't willing to help her?

As if to break the tension, Sam inhaled and told Lucy about what seemed be causing Eira's somber behavior.

"When we were kids, our parents got killed by a hideous monster, while protecting us," he said, in a husky voice, almost as if talking about it would evoke tears, "The responsibility of watching over Eira was suddenly on me. I did my best to smile at her, despite our condition."

Sam closed his eyes.

"We had no food, nowhere to go in that gods forsaken winter, and we were _scared_. Terrified. We traveled around Fiore in hopes of finding kindness, people who would help us. But no one did," he suddenly chuckled darkly, "That's how life is. It doesn't matter your condition, the people out there are self-pretentious arrogants who won't lift a finger to do a good deed."

Lucy frowned, about to retort on how that wasn't entirely true, but Sam just smiled at her.

"That was what I thought until we found Dragon Claw. At the time, I fully expected Master Danny to turn his back on us like all the others did. He didn't."

Sam's frown had erupted in a nostalgic smile, a look of gratefulness in his eyes.

"He took us under his wing, fed us, gave us a home. He was such a powerful mage, and he still is, so we felt at ease with him. Like our long lost uncle."

He suddenly chuckled.

"That's when we met Maya and Ivy. Holy Anna, I had never seen such an untamed pair. But I'm glad for that, because they were somehow like a gift from the Master. He gave us food and a home, and introduced us to friendship and family love."

Lucy smiled warmly as small tears pooled in her eyes, touched by the sad story of the Shilga siblings' past, and yet somehow reminded of… Gray.

She frowned, tilting her head sideways slightly in thought.

"Sam," she whispered, "was the monster that killed your parents by any chance called… Deliora?"

Sam flinched, gritting his teeth in rage.

"It was..."

_Just as I thought, _Lucy echoed in her mind, her breath hitching. Her eyes closed as Gray's heartbreaking words resounded in her memories, kindly placing her hand on his left shoulder. She could somehow share his pain. The pain of losing both parents too early.

"Unfortunately, you're not the only victimized by that beast," she whispered, and squeezed his shoulder, her lips tight, "I don't really want to share information, but I know someone that shares your pain."

Sam jolted slightly at her words, frowning at her. His blue eyes, which, Lucy noted, held a tinge of lilac now, conveyed surprise, sorrow, and mutual understanding. She smiled sadly, her own shoulders slumping as unwanted flashbacks flickered in her mind. Yes. She understood very well what it felt like to lose a family. She'd experienced it twice.

"I also lost my mother when I was young, and my father passed away last year. I guess I somehow can understand you, too."

Sam smiled for a second, looking less stressed. But he still seemed tense.

"Perhaps… losing our parents triggered some kind of trauma in my sister," he suggested, and he clearly didn't like that idea. Lucy felt the same, but she had to admit that the theory was valid.

"Then it's your job and the guild's to restore her faith in life, if that's how she feels," she advised. He remained silent.

Giving him a brief hug, Lucy bid goodbye with a wave and began walking away from a distressed and thoughtful looking Sam. However, the blonde stopped, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"If Eira ever reconsiders helping me, tell her I'll be in that clearing nearby the guild," she said softly, "Also, I already told Ivy and Maya that I'll be away from the guild for a few days, to finish the spells. See you around, Sam."

She didn't check for his reaction, and broke in a light run towards the depths of the Forest Groove. Tears were starting to flow down her cheeks as the spring breezes blew her braided hair and clothes, and Lucy was unable of containing a sniffle. It was all starting to come together in her head, how her life was a mess. She had lost her mother, her beloved mother and the one she could trust the most. Her father kept his distance, and when he began redeeming himself, Lucy lost him too. Then Natsu opened a door to happiness, gave her a family, before he forgot her entire existence. The pain only doubled when Lucy was reminded of her feelings for him, and she felt like she'd been slapped upon remembering he definitely did not reciprocate them.

Lucy let out a hybrid of a trembling sob and a yelp when her foot was caught in a sprouting vine on the ground. She fell down heavily, groaning at the impact. She was so overwhelmed though, so depressed and desperate that she didn't bother to stand up to her feet. Her back shuddered while she cried silently, and she crossed her arms beneath her forehead. Her life sucked. She could very well admit that. Why couldn't Natsu just love her? Why did he have to toss her aside? And, despite the selfishness of the question, why did Lisanna have to come back? She had just found happiness, a true friend and confidant in Natsu, and then it was all stolen from her grasp. Mavis, Lucy just wanted to curl into a ball and disappear off the face of Earthland. It was all so unfair.

"Lucy?"

Her eyes burst open wide. No. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. It was impossible.

"Luce."

That _voice._ This had to be a prank. Maybe she was missing him so damn much that her brain was going delusional and she was imagining his voice.

"Lucy, get up."

Still, that hot, calloused hand on her shoulder felt too real, and too good. She wasn't imagining things. He was right there, next to her, touching her, talking to her. She felt like her chest would explode with enthusiasm and despair.

"Natsu?!" Lucy cried out, and lifted herself off the ground as fast as an arrow in motion.

He was there. He was right there, those salmon strands and white scarf fanning in the wind, he was kneeling so close to her, grinning at her with those onyx eyes sparkling, and cupping her face with those overly warm and soft hands. Lucy laughed breathlessly in disbelief while he wiped her tears with his thumbs, clutching at his wrists like her life depended on it.

"You're here, you're really here," she breathed, grinning back at him, "Is it really you, Natsu?"

The cheerful mood died at that question. Natsu's grin immediately faded, and an expression that radiated guilt took over his face. Lucy's eyes frowned, but there was still a smile on her lips. That only seemed to make it worse for him.

"Natsu?"

He breathed in, closing his eyes.

"No."

And then, her heart shattered. She could form no words. She could form no response because when his eyes reopened, they were inhumanly black, covering even the white muscles around the irises. Lucy knew right then and there.

Gemini.

The blonde's arms dropped to her sides and her hair fell over her face, an almost dark expression in her eyes. Gemini, still as Natsu and with his eyes onyx once again, frowned at her with slumped shoulders, and moved _his_ hands to her shoulders.

"We feel all of your pain, Lucy," they said, in _his_ voice. Lucy just wanted to cry. "We thought… we thought that maybe if we showed up like this, you'd cheer up."

She didn't answer, merely allowing a shaky sob to escape her lips. Gemini grimaced, tightening the grip on her shoulders and closing _Natsu_'s eyes. Just as they decided to dispell the cover, to not make their mistress cry even more, Lucy shook her head.

"Please, don't," she hiccupped, and moved to rest her head on _Natsu_'s bare chest, "Just… let me have this moment. Let me be fooled just this once."

Gemini blinked, but when the celestial mage sniffled and curled up to their current form, they smiled gently and wrapped _his _arms around her trembling form.

Lucy was in heaven. There was nothing better than Natsu's hugs when she was sad. Even though this wasn't him, even though it was just to soften her chagrin, it would do. The hot arms around her tightly and the feel of the smooth spikes of his hair were awfully convincing. The only things missing were his comforting, sunny scent, and his actual being. Lucy inhaled, fighting back the tears that wanted to pour down. She just had to savor this moment.

After what seemed like eons of being cocooned in the warmth of Gemini's flawless embodiment of _her _Natsu, Lucy moved away. She gulped as she stared into those bottomless noir eyes. She wished it was really him and his eyes looking at her. Her heart was at the verge of exploding and all she needed was Natsu.

But she had to be strong. Wasn't that what she promised herself to become? She was a celestial mage, and as such, she always kept her promises.

"Thank you, Gemini," she said, hoarsely.

They smiled at her, and as if reading her innermost wishes, a pair of rough lips was pressed to her forehead in a lingering kiss. Lucy started to shudder, struggling to not cry. She couldn't cry anymore.

Eventually, those heavenly lips were gone, and in a burst of white, Lucy was left alone in the woods. As she slowly raised her chin to see through the thick foliage of the trees, those burdensome tears left her eyes anyway. Her vision was glassy and wavering, and through the frame of warm liquid, Lucy could see shades of red, orange and purple behind the dark green dots of the forest pinnacle. Sunset. She didn't bother to count the hours she'd lost.

Staggering to her feet, the blonde mage headed for her favorite clearing with slow steps and a heavy heart.

* * *

_It's no use_, Lucy thought, sighing.

For the past few hours, she had been meditating, lost in herself and her inner vessel of magic as she sought for the spot of Ice within her – the key that would unlock the gates to Neptuno Glacie. So far, she was failing. She wasn't certain why, but her uneasiness had something to do with either the lack of aid from a fellow mage or the fact that she had been so close to Natsu, who was revealed to be... not Natsu. Be it one or another, they weren't letting her concentrate or find peace.

Lucy fisted her hands, head hanging down to her chest as another surge of sorrow went through her. The treacherous tears spilled to her cheeks again and her chest bounced when she hiccupped violently, her Dragon Claw marked hand moving to palm her face.

"I'm pathetic," she breathed, laughing humorlessly, "I'm this messed up because of a _boy_."

It truly felt ridiculous to her. She'd always consider herself to be untouchable when it came to being in a relationship, that she could handle anything because no boy could ever get to her this much. But Natsu Dragneel was not an ordinary boy. No, he was a man, the man that contradicted these rules. And Lucy both hated and loved him for that.

She was starting to grow desperate. She wanted, no, needed to master the grand spells in order to become stronger. And Natsu, somehow, wasn't letting her. She felt weak. Weak and useless, and as lonely as she had felt in those three months of isolation. What could she do?

The sound of leaves rustling and the outline of a figure caught Lucy's attention. Squinting her eyes and wiping her tears with her sleeve, she tried to make out the presence through the darkness of the night. By the stars and the rising moon in the sky, Lucy assumed it was practically bed time.

The figure, short and feminine, approached her in steady steps, and the blonde murmured 'Venus Lucem' under her breath to spark a light in her right hand. She blinked in confusion and surprise.

"Eira?" she muttered. Her voice was raspy from crying.

Eira merely blinked, and looked at her own feet, almost in shame. Her tiny arms were crossed over her chest and she was donning a long sleeved lilac dress, flowing just above her knees and perfectly blending in the night. Her bright blonde hair was gently fluttering with the wind and covering her downcast eyes.

"I'm sorry."

The words were so soft and timid, so easily wandering through the night, but Lucy heard them nonetheless. She parted her lips, yet no words slipped out. She took a deep breath, and rose from the ground, hands outstretching to touch Eira's narrow shoulders. The petite girl flinched at the contact, a pained smile passed Lucy's lips for a split second as her body began to shiver with sobs. Eira made no attempt to step back from Lucy's tight hug.

"I know how you feel," she whispered over the little blonde's ear, "I know your pain. I know it so well that you couldn't imagine."

At this point, Eira was the one consoling a sobbing Lucy in her arms. Both girls held tight onto each other, sharing their pains through a meaningful silence. Lucy felt at ease. Eira reminded her so much of Wendy this way that her heart somehow calmed down.

"They might be gone, Eira," Lucy suddenly whispered, and moved back with her arms still around her, "But they died loving you. They left wanting to protect you and your brother. And even though they're gone, they'll always be…"

She leisurely moved her hand to Eira's left bosom, smiling motherly like.

"… in here."

Eira's lower lip trembled with a hiccup, but then her face broke in a gesture that both shocked and elated Lucy.

She smiled. It was framed by tears and red puffy cheeks, but it was still there. Lucy returned the gesture a thousand times wider.

"I'll help you, Lucy," Eira stuttered, as the aforementioned blonde brushed away her tears.

"Thank you, Eira."

They joined hands, smiling at each other with newfound kindness, and Eira saw Lucy's chestnut colored eyes disappear beneath a layer of skin.

"Follow my lead, Eira. Seek out your inner Ice, share it with me." The small blonde nodded briefly, mimicking her. Immediately, Lucy felt a cold and yet inviting aura seeping into her fingers, slowly spreading to her arms and eventually nestling into her entire body. The speed of their connection only proved of how powerful Eira was and, perhaps, Lucy herself.

She filled her head with memories and moments spent with her favorite Ice Make mage. She remembered his spiky night hair, his smirk, his courage, kindness, confidence… the way she thought of Gray was like he was her older brother from different parents. She could never imagine life without him, and Lucy put that fact into consideration while she willed her own inner Ice to come forth.

A bright blue erupted from both girl's bodies, hair and clothes fluttering with the intensity of the magic they were handling. As their immense power began increasing, Eira and Lucy were too absorbed in their casting to notice the male presence watching them from behind a tree. Their hands tightened around each other, a frown and a cold sweat forming on both, but then a soft and knowing smile was drawn to Lucy's lips.

"Now, Eira," she said, in a whisper, over the thick waves of magic radiating from their bodies.

Eira's lips stretched into a similar smile.

And their eyes opened. A visit from winter was fitting to describe the consequences. As cold blue designs and characters were encrypted in Lucy's eyes, a storm of ice and snow invaded the clearing and coated trees and plants in milky white. The ground was suddenly buried under a thin and flawless layer of ice that had originated from Eira and Lucy's feet, spreading out to whatever corners of the forest it ventured to. The harsh winds and cold snow blew their clothes and hair into a pandemonium of twirls, Lucy's side braid becoming undone and locks of golden blending in the silvery snow. The blonde adopted a more serious expression, signaling she was determined to call upon one of the strongest Greek Gods, Poseidon.

"_I search within the depths of wintery Neptune,_

_Its power cold and headstrong, waiting to be dominated,_

_I shall take its shapes into battle,_

_Be it a sword, be it a spear,_

_Be it the bow with arrows made of the coldest ice, and with the strength of the almighty tsunamis,_

_Be it the weapon shaped of water or blizzard that will guide me to victory._

_I call upon thee, oh holy Poseidon,_

_God of the Sea and Winter!_

_NEPTUNO GLACIE!_"

At the end of her magical words, the scenery around Eira and Lucy that it was morphed into, was the living proof that Ivy had been right all along. Ice _was _water, therefore Poseidon was not only the God of the Sea, but also the God of Winter, as the words Lucy chanted defined. In the half Eira stood in front of, remained the whirlwinds of ice and snow, but on Lucy's side, all cold and snow vanished – giving way to heavily pelting rain and waves of water dancing around the trees and Lucy's glowing body. Meanwhile, the designs in her eyes had split into two, the same ones for Ice in her left eye and a whole new set that conveyed mirages of water, waterfalls, dangerous tsunamis and everything related to that element in her right eye. Lucy felt more powerful than ever, and Eira was astonished.

The snow and water then disappeared, as a figure materialized in front of the two blondes. Cautiously stepping to the side and keeping their hands together, Lucy and Eira were met with the stern face of the God of the Sea and Winter. He was bare chested and visibly muscled, his skin easily compared to the moist color of caramel. His eyes were of a unique tint of turquoise, framed by locks of long silvery hair that matched his long beard. Just as legends and myths told, he was not human and held a golden trident in his engorged right hand. From his waist down, he was like Aquarius. His merman tail was of a silvery white with details of cold blue around his hips, the fins at the tip matching the color. Unlike Aquarius, he didn't hover in the air, but was supported by a swirling wave of water around his lower half.

Lucy almost felt intimidated by his glare. _Almost_. As Capricorn and Loke always advised, she had to look respectful yet confident in the presence of the gods, and confident she would be.

"Art thou Lucy Heartfilia, daughter of Layla Heartfilia?" he inquired. His voice was so thick and rough that Lucy was reminded of the Spirit King.

"Yes," she responded firmly, "I have summoned your Ice and your holy Water, and wish to share the power and domain you possess over thy elements."

He seemed rather pleased with her brave tone, despite the frown in his old features. He raised his chin, and Lucy gulped slightly when he positioned his sharp trident inches away from her face. Eira squeezed her hand, clearly troubled by the weapon aimed towards her, but Lucy seemed quite sure of herself.

"Then my powers are at thy service," he bellowed, and both water and ice began forming at the tips of the shimmering trident, "Thou has begun mastering Neptuno Glacie, the Ice spell, and Neptuno Aquolium, the Water spell. Thou art bound to this holy embodiment of mine."

The two farthest tips of the trident glowed, the right blue and the left white. Water and shattered Ice left their respective ends, turning into thin swirls around Lucy's body. Poseidon nodded slowly, as if approving of her, and began disappearing with both elements. In slow motion, the clearing went back to normal, leaving no traces of the elements that had previously been on the forest, except with Lucy. She glowed a mixture of blue and silver, and Eira was wearing a shocked expression.

As the glow subsided from Lucy's body, she turned to the young blonde, "Thank you again, Eira."

"That was…" she began, and raised her chin, just to widen her eyes in disbelief, "Divine."

Lucy blinked, following Eira's astounded stare to the night sky. It turned out she had quite the good reason to be shocked. What had been previously a dark sky with just a few bright stars surrounding the moon, was now a myriad of colors throughout the skies, the most prominent being shades of purple, blue, orange, red, green, yellow and so many others that Lucy couldn't count. Those few stars had multiplied endlessly, and combined with the promiscuous colors, created a perfect illusion of the vast cosmos. Lucy was speechless.

"And that," a male voice echoed, "is proof that you've earned their trust."

Lucy and Eira turned abruptly at the intruder – _intruders_. Along with a smirking Master Danny, were Maya, Ivy and Sam, who gawked at the sky Lucy's power had changed. Sam broke out of his trance, and stared at his sister. Eira blinked, frowning briefly, before she gave him a heartwarming smile. The three teenagers widened their eyes, shocked, and Sam reciprocated the gesture with tears in his icy eyes. Eira ran to her brother, hugging him tightly, and over the little blonde's shoulder, Sam glanced at Lucy and muttered a 'thank you'. She smiled, nodding, and turned to a smiling Master Danny.

"Their trust?" she repeated. Master Danny approached her, the others not far behind.

"Have you not noticed that your body is still glowing, Lucy?" he pointed out.

She eyed herself at his words, and gasped upon discovering the truth in them. Her body was still engulfed in a gleam, but it was pure golden, like her hair.

"You're not done," he said, and looked intrigued, "They want you to master the remaining two spells now, at once."

"Two spells at the same time?" Ivy suddenly piped in, shocked, "She won't make it, Master. She's mastered two spells today, and one of them turned out to be a double."

"You can do it, Lucy," Master Danny assured, "You have more power than you imagine. How do you think Gemini was capable of impersonating Natsu Dragneel?"

Lucy's eyes widened at his observation, mouth open to ask, rudely, as to how he knew, but he held his hand to stop her uttering a word.

"That is part of my magic, Lucy. I can read people's thoughts."

She closed her mouth, suddenly uneasy with this bit of information. She had to be careful with her mind around Master, from now on. He smiled, amused at her thoughts.

"Now, I know quite a lot about this magic you are learning," he said, "I've studied about it when I was a young traveler, through resources I won't reveal. Of course, nobody knew about this magic because it is, along with Dragon Slaying magic, the oldest Lost Magic there is."

"If it's part of Lost Magic, how come Lucy-chan found it?" Sam asked, curious.

"Because she was meant to find that book," Master clarified, and smirked when Lucy raised an eyebrow with wide eyes, "That book belonged to your mother, Layla Heartfilia. Your father didn't tell you to keep you safe, but he mastered the majority of these spells along with your mother. To summarize, while your mother Layla relied mostly on her Holder celestial magic, your father was secretly a Caster celestial mage."

"Say _WHAT_?!" Lucy screeched, her high pitched voice echoing in the night. Her eyes were wide to the point of resembling an owl's, and her jaw threatened to collide with the ground. Master Danny chuckled lightly at her reaction.

"It's true. Before he met your mother, he had all of the spells mastered except for Neptuno Glacie and Aquolium, Saturn Malgae, and Jupiter Fulgus. These are the hardest to master. Aestus Mercurius is just a bit easier, though almost as difficult; however, seeing as you have it in your domain already, I don't need to elaborate any further."

He gestured to the obnoxiously starry night sky above them.

"By beginning the process of mastering the Water and Ice spells, you've proved yourself to the gods, and now they trust you. They want you to master the remaining two spells at the same time," he then eyed her carefully, "Do you remember when you passed out and Maya brought you to the guild?"

Lucy nodded. He smirked mischievously.

"Loke's theories aren't entirely correct. Right before you were attacked by her, you started the process of mastering the Fire spell. This spell was the most powerful spell you had attempted to master, and therefore, your brief contact with it was enough to open _another _vessel of magic within your body. Only this time, this vessel's magic," he paused quite dramatically, "is infinite."

The whole gang fell silent. Lucy stared at Master as if he had grown a second head, her brown irises like a pair of small caramel candies surrounded by white. The others mimicked her reaction, though in her direction. Master chuckled briefly.

"So, what you're trying to say is," Sam muttered, blinking in disbelief, "that Lucy-chan can never run out of magic in a battle?"

"To put it simply, yes."

"HOLY HELL!" Maya blurted, gawking at Lucy. The celestial mage was utterly shocked and confused.

"B-But how is that possible?" she asked. His eyes gleamed with faint enthusiasm.

"The creation of an endless vessel of magic is what people believe to be a myth," he explained, "though, as you can see, it's not. You've begun mastering two related types of Lost magic, Lucy: the Eight Grand Spells of the Solar System, and Begalinis Magija, the possession of an endless supply of magic power."

"That still doesn't explain _how _Lucy was able to create a vessel of infinite magic," Eira reminded.

"Ah, the million jewel question," Master Danny smirked.

"We're getting lectured here," Ivy muttered, to which Sam chuckled faintly.

"The gods have been watching you, Lucy. They have examined your feelings and your way of logic, to see if you are worthy of sharing their domain over the types of magic the eight spells consist of."

He took a breath.

"You see, when you made contact with Aestus Mercurius, however brief it was, Hephaestus was able to sense the strong bond you possess with another fire mage."

"Natsu!" Maya exclaimed, but Lucy's warning glare and pinkish cheeks shut her up. Master laughed gently, but then his face turned serious.

"That devotion you possess toward Natsu Dragneel, combined with your compatible magic, undying determination and the bravery required to wish to become stronger, was basically the last proof they needed to know that you are indeed bound to become one of the most powerful mages that ever lived, Lucy."

The blonde kept quiet, the information processing in her head becoming so incredibly unbelievable that she had no words for him. He took it as a sign to proceed.

"That bond between your and Natsu's heart is so strong and practically unbeatable already, that Hephaestus made Begalinis Magija trigger in your body," he continued, smiling knowingly.

"That is so cliché and so awesome at the same time," Maya commented, and laughed in wonder.

Master bent slightly to stare right into Lucy's soul through her widened eyes, "You might as well be an invincible mage, Lucy. If you participated in an S-Class Rank trial by now, you'd win with your hands behind your back."

"Then why don't you give her that title?" Eira suggested. He smiled.

"I'd very much want that, but I'm afraid that's not how it works."

Maya pouted, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"Why not?" she whined, "She's the awesomest mage and person I've ever met."

Lucy blushed lightly at the praise, smiling when the midget brunette hung an arm on her right shoulder with her trademark grin. Ivy smirked as Sam smiled, nodding in agreement, and Eira's smile and somewhat shy position proved she agreed with their perspectives.

"Thank you all, really."

Ivy gestured to her body, raising his brow, "You're still glowing."

"Seriously?" she asked, eying herself and frowning. Master Danny smirked.

"They're ready, Lucy. They want you to master Saturn Malgae and Jupiter Fulgus, and become the most powerful celestial mage they've ever seen."

Maya grinned even wider, clasping her hands with Lucy's excitedly.

"What are you waiting for then, Luce? Show us how strong you've become."

* * *

**THIS SHIT IS THIRTEEN PAGES LONG.**

**SUPER. LONG. FILLER. CHAPPIEEEEE.**

**This is by far the longest chapter of this fanfic, and whew, I must say I'm proud. I tried so hard to split it into two, but it would lose its meaning and timeline if I did so.** **And it's one of my favorite chapters, too, to tell the truth. What'd you think of Lucy's new magic range and my super weird made up Lost magic spells? Don't ask where I got the endless vessel one, I have no fucking idea.**

**So, this was basically a way of making it up to you guys. Sorry for the long wait.**

**REVIEW! OR I'LL SET YOU ON FIRE!**


	12. Two Missions: One Down, One to Go

**Wow. My first flame. In one hand: I despise people like that. On the other hand: I laughed out loud at their accusations. You can't get to me, flamers, you all suck (except for Natsu, he's hot… in more than one way).**

**Thank you KuroiAoiShishio for beta'ing this chapter. Oh! Also, Sunsetdh, here it is, within four days like you requested.**

* * *

Lucy closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as she willed her magic to surface from within her body. Master Danny had told her that to dominate the remaining spells she had to show the gods one last proof – the proof that she could master two powerful spells by herself.

The five mages watched her concentrate under the rainbow stained night sky, taking in how Lucy's golden glow was starting to waver and widen around her. Her loose blonde hair began shifting with the light breeze that suddenly went by, and her wet, frozen dress shirt and denim skirt followed suit. Her face contorted in a frown while her lips went tight against each other, just as her knuckles flushed white from the grip on her fists.

Lucy didn't think of images befitting of the two spells she was about to deal with. No, she relied on strength and will alone. If the gods wanted her to prove herself, she would – with no backup images, whatsoever. She believed in Master Danny's words on how she became powerful, and the gods wanted self-esteem. She'd give them what they wanted.

Master Danny eyed Lucy with narrowed eyes when her glow faded into shades of lilac and purple. Her hair and clothes were shining brighter and flowing higher, and might have been his imagination, but he swore he saw some of the colors in the night's sky glimmer for a moment. Next to him, the four teenagers were completely entranced by Lucy and her overflowing magic, eyes widened in anticipation.

And then, Lucy's eyes snapped open and the sky pulsed with colorful magic. Her eyes were divided into two completely different patterns, the right one tangled in sharp lines of a bluish lilac that resembled thunder, and the left one was a dark purple default with unknown codes. Master Danny could recognize those characters from a book he had come across – they stood for Gravity Magic. Jupiter Fulgus, the Thunder or Energy spell and Saturn Malgae, the Gravity Manipulation spell. The most difficult pair of them all, and Lucy was doing quite a fine job at contracting with them.

Behind the color shadowed clouds in the sky, a clap of thunder roared loudly while plants, flowers, rocks, fallen branches, and anything that was laid on the ground, began floating aimlessly in the air. All of their hair also spread around their heads, Eira's and Maya's resembling golden and chestnut halos, and their clothes and accessories couldn't look and feel less light. The teens were all stunned, briefly checking their attire before focusing their attention back on Lucy. She stood with a serious expression as the glow in her body practically worshiped her.

"_Jupiter and Saturn,_

_I call upon your elements and magic,_

_I will possess thunder and be by thine possessed,_

_I will obtain a reign over gravity and keep it in my grasp,_

_To help me in battles and bond with my magic soul,_

_I, Lucy Heartfilia, call upon the sacred gods that master these elements,_

_Almighty Zeus and holy Phansi,_

_Appear before me!_

_JUPITER FULGUS, SATURN MALGAE!_"

"Phansi?!" Sam inquired, over the loud screeches of the thunder storm.

"A goddess no one is aware of," Master explained in a loud tone, "The Goddess of Gravity and Orbit."

"This one doesn't have a permanent summon spell?!" Ivy asked.

"No, due to Lucy being in the presence of two distinct spells. I believe she made that one up, just like the gods wanted to see. Now, they've truly made their decision: they will connect with Lucy and allow her to control their magic as she sees fit."

At that moment, a hazardous looking thunderbolt echoed in the skies, and descended down to the ground – directly into Lucy's head. The five gulped and watched with worry and panic heavy in their features as the blonde growled at the hit. Her eyes squeezed shut, as if in pain, and her teeth gritted, only adding to their distress.

"Lucy!" Maya yelled, trying to step forward, but both Gravity and Master Danny halted her from doing so. He stared at her with such solemn eyes that she had to step back.

"Stay back. You touch that girl and you get sent backwards with the force of several thousand volts," he warned. Maya pursed her lips, but complied.

The blonde then reopened her eyes, and they were definitely not the same as they had been before. At the same time she revealed her colorful and gleaming eyes, the sky burst white at yet another thunder clap, and five thick strings of distinct colors hovered around her in malformed circles. Each one was an element Lucy had contracted with, Water and Ice in two close strings, Fire, Earth, and Air. Along with those four, and maintaining Gravity and Thunder, her body brightened and sudden cracks in the ground erupted beneath her feet, symbolizing Venus Lucem and Martis Vis respectively.

Suddenly, everything stopped. Everything was frozen in place, except for Lucy. Master Danny and the younger mages were, along with the rest of Earthland, frozen in time. Lucy frowned, but when she was met with the presence of four gods surrounding her and six more scattered around the magic circle glowing beneath her feet, her curiosity evaporated.

Right in front of her was a man with golden long hair and short beard, contrasting with his uncommon lilac eyes. The trademark Greek robes fell down his torso and legs, over his pale skin and toned flesh. Just as legends foretold, in his right rough hand was a menacing looking thunderbolt, sparking bright and lilac against his fingers.

Zeus and his Master Bolt.

After blinking in astonishment, Lucy nodded respectfully, and glanced left. Touching her shoulder and eyeing her carefully, was a woman with eyes of a darker hue than Zeus's, framed by a dark purple shade on the lids and her thin lips tainted a soft pink. Long, raven black hair cascaded to her waist, and her body was clad in a long, white, wavy dress. Her hands were delicate and her skin was pale, and felt as ghostly as the other on Lucy's shoulder.

Phansi, the unknown Goddess of Gravity and Orbit.

She repeated the action she showed Zeus, and saw that on her right was Hephaestus and behind her was Poseidon. This was it – the final judgment.

"Lucy Heartfilia," Zeus began, in a voice almost as loud as his thunderstorm, "We have witnessed thine power and judged thine heart, which proved far greater than our expectations."

He raised his bolt and held it scarce inches away from her face, and Lucy saw by the corner of her eye, Hephaestus holding a flame close to her cheek and Poseidon had most likely positioned his trident close to the back of her head. Phansi had already placed her hand on her shoulder, which now glowed a faint purple at Zeus's words. These four were to be her closest gods, as it seemed. Asclepius stood farther behind Hephaestus and Aeolas behind Phansi, signaling they would indulge in a similar bond with her, and the pairs Aphrodite and Apollo with Kratos and Ares were in opposite diagonal spots on the ample magic circle.

"We bind our souls and magic with thou, Lucy Heartfilia, for thou has earned our respect and blessing. _Sikri Tomarus._"

Lucy was then bathed by the spell's magic again, closing her eyes as the magic seeping into her body took its toll on her. Ivy's warning was definitely right. Mastering four spells, the strongest ones in just one day – her body couldn't bear it for too long. Just as the gods began vanishing from her sight along with their magic, time was going again and she was falling to the ground. She was exhausted.

"Lucy!"

* * *

By the time she regained consciousness, it was the break of dawn. Under the dim light that came through the curtains, she recognized the white, black and gray shades of her bedroom. The only thing she didn't expect to see was the lump under the sheets and a tuft of wild mahogany hair peeking from beneath. Lucy groaned while propping her weight to her elbows, and gently shook the Earth mage.

"Maya?" she murmured, her voice like the uncomfortable buzz of a bee in the blissful silence. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. Six O'clock.

Maya didn't budge, and after failed attempts to wake her up, Lucy sighed and forced herself to leave the confines of her comfy bed. Since it was near June, she didn't feel that familiar cold air she normally felt when getting up, just a barely noticeable chill. As the blonde made her way to the ample living room, in slow and heavy steps, she spotted yet another intruder crashing in her sofa. Lucy smiled softly, at least Ivy had the decency to take the couch.

She began wondering about her two new closest friends. They shared quite the tipsy relationship, always poking at each other's nerves, but Lucy had no doubt they had the kind of chemistry that didn't go away. What was Maya and Ivy's relationship _truly _all about?

Frowning in suspicion at the question in her head, she began moving around her kitchen, bringing out frying pans and certain ingredients she needed for what she had in mind for breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast. She decided, as she cracked an egg over a bowl, that Ivy and Maya certainly deserved to be this pampered. Thankfully, back when her mother was alive, Lucy would sneak out with her to watch the cooks prepare her meals. Ever since then, she'd been in love with cooking, just didn't practice it very often. Having her father become distant after her mother's death didn't quite help either, since Lucy didn't dare enrage him even further than she had on that certain birthday of hers. And after joining Fairy Tail, going on missions with Team Natsu, and experiencing so many dangerous adventures took most of her time.

_Hm, if Natsu ever knew I'm a good cook he'd never stop pestering me, _she thought with a smile, while sifting an amount of flour over a bowl. Luckily, she didn't turn gloomy at the thought. That was a good sign.

She poured the eggs, the sugar, the flour, and the grated lemon into the mixer, and flinched at the rampant noises it made when she flicked it on. Given how the sound could remind one of a motorcycle breaking down, she wasn't so surprised when Ivy came stumbling through the door, rubbing the sleep out of his baggy eyes. Lucy frowned.

"Sorry," she muttered, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"A little. I would have slept better if I wasn't so worried about you, your couch does wonders to my back," he mumbled sleepily, and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"Why would you be so worried?" she asked, raising an eyebrow with a small smile, "You all knew that amount of magic would make me tired. I had a perfect night, mind you."

Ivy frowned, watching her adjust the tempo on the mixer.

"A perfect night? Lucy, you were unconscious for three days."

Lucy froze. She blinked several times as Ivy's statement registered in her brain, and swiftly turned to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Three days?" she repeated, surprised. He nodded.

"Maya almost went berserk. And so did I, but let's leave it at that," he said, smirking slightly, "Beginning the process of mastering four spells really exhausted you."

"Those are the strongest of them all. No wonder I fell asleep right then and there," she retorted, to which he agreed silently.

"That's what I told Maya. I told her you were fine, just magically exhausted, but she still freaked out."

Lucy twitched her lips, and turned the mixer off.

"I would have, too."

"I know," he answered, slowly standing from the chair to aid her in pouring the contents out of the bowl. Lucy smiled briefly.

"Speaking of Maya, I have a question for you."

"Hn?" he hummed absent absentmindedly.

Lucy began handling the eggwhite while Ivy fetched the bacon from the fridge.

"What do you think of her?"

He raised an eyebrow, confused. Lucy giggled.

"Come again?"

"Let me rephrase that," she said, grinning. "What do you feel for Maya?"

The question seemed to catch him off guard. Lucy laughed when he juggled unintentionally with the eggs he had grabbed, and furrowed his brow at her as he finally managed to steady his hands.

"What do I feel for Maya?" he muttered, almost afraid of being heard by the mage in question. He had a good reason to whisper, Dragon Slayers had seriously sharp senses.

"Uh-huh," Lucy said. She began to stir up the eggwhites in a bowl, eyeing him carefully with a knowing smile.

"What's this all about?" he inquired. She shrugged, and tilted her head to signal she wanted the extra eggs poured in the glass. Ivy complied, and with that, he was officially cooking breakfast with Lucy.

"Just curious. You two have that sort of chemistry that doesn't go away, in my opinion."

"Like you and Dragneel?"

She felt a faint heat in her cheeks, but kept her cool. Ivy noticed it, though, and smirked.

"Maybe."

"Don't 'maybe' me, clearly from what Master Danny told me, you two were quite the pair. This 'chemistry' you're talking about, is it the same as the one you and Dragneel share?" he asked. He made it sound so casual by stirring eggs and staring nonchalantly at the ceiling.

"From what Master Danny told you?" Lucy repeated, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't panic," he said, grinning, "He just told us how you two acted. Since he can read your mind, he can see your memories. And he toned down the embarrassment and just told us you two were very _close_."

Lucy's brow twitched, her face fuming, but she ignored it.

"Like, close, _close_."

She pursed her lips. He whistled while ducking to get a bowl.

"Close, close, _close_."

She ignored him again and got started on mixing the whipped eggwhites with the pancake batter.

"Like, to the point of seeing you naked."

Lucy growled, and covered her red face with her hands, shoulders slumping. He just _had _to bring that up. Ivy barked a laugh.

"Come on, Lucy, at least it was him and not some lecherous pervert."

She pouted, "It's still embarrassing. He even touched my…"

She halted at Ivy's wide eyes and suggestive grin, bursting so red in the face that the term 'like a tomato' was a little off. It was more like she tried to open a packet of ketchup, it blew up in her face and then her cheeks absorbed the liquid. He sputtered at the image.

"You don't have to finish that sentence."

"Good," she muttered, and headed for the stove, bowl in hand, "And yes, I mean that kind of chemistry. Go get me the bag of precooked fries, it's in the freezer."

Ivy obliged with a thoughtful look. Lucy poured a generous amount of batter in the frying pan, and glanced at the water mage to study his face. He seemed rather pensive. Perhaps he was only trying to sort out his feelings now. Eventually, he sighed, and handed her the plastic bag with a halfhearted smile.

"I already know I love her. I've loved her for years now."

Lucy smiled, seemingly satisfied—and a bit surprised—with his answer.

"When will you tell her?"

He grimaced, fingering the stripe of raw bacon on the counter.

"When she stops being clueless," he mumbled. Lucy glared at him in disbelief.

"Sure, here's the date to that event," she said in a mock high pitched voice, "February 31st, midnight, the local holiday dedicated to Saint _Never_."

Ivy sighed, although grinning in amusement at her joke.

"I know. But I think I should wait a bit more."

"Haven't you waited long enough?" Lucy retorted. She distractedly flipped the pancake while grabbing the sack of fries.

"Lucy, she's nearly three years younger than me."

"Love doesn't know age," she whispered, smiling softly. He had no argument for that.

"Well, true," he muttered, "but she's too young. I just turned nineteen, and she's barely sixteen."

"That's what bothers you? Age?" she asked, blinking in confusion, "You don't strike as the type of guy who would care about that."

"But I do. Especially because she's so goddamn innocent," he growled. Lucy could've sworn she saw a tinge of pink in his cheeks.

She nibbled on her cheek, "I bet she loves you too. I mean, how could she not? You've been together for several years now, as inseparable best friends. Obviously she must feel something too, if she hasn't shown any interest in other guys."

Ivy eyed her carefully for a moment, and she felt slightly awkward under his piercing stare. Then, he smirked. She didn't like that smirk.

"You're summing up your situation with Dragneel, aren't you?"

Lucy didn't answer, merely placing the first pancake on a plate she had prepared on top of the table. Ivy took in how she looked thoughtful, not to mention she was blushing slightly.

"You're changing the subject, Mr. Silver."

He grinned, snickering, "How about this then: if Maya and I ever get to see Fairy Tail, _if..._ I'll ask Maya out. If we don't, you will have to tell Dragneel you love him, and you will never back down from getting him again."

Lucy nearly dropped the entire bowl into the pan, her eyes bulging out in shock at his suggestion. He rolled his eyes at her dramatic reaction.

"Chill. It's not like you haven't said it before," he stated dully, raising an eyebrow. Lucy didn't exactly know what to say.

After a few moments of silence and pouring more pancakes onto the current batch, Lucy smiled at Ivy.

"I have one condition. You can't back down from getting Maya either. Ever."

He seemed taken aback by the demand, but smirked despite the obvious pink tint in his cheeks.

"Deal."

The moment Lucy poured the stirred eggs onto another pan, a sleepy groan was heard not far from the kitchen entrance. She turned on her heels, a welcoming grin plastered in her face. Maya blinked, taken aback by Lucy being awake and Ivy smiling gently in her direction, but quickly jumped forward to squeeze the blonde tightly.

"Stupid Lucy!" she growled, and Lucy laughed breathily. "You had me worried, damn it!"

"I'm fine, Maya. Like Ivy told you, I was just exhausted," Lucy replied, returning the brunette's hug just as tightly. Maya nodded, and buried her face in Lucy's neck.

"Gods, I'm going to miss you when you go back to Magnolia, Luce."

Lucy froze abruptly at her words. Ivy eyed her with caution, frowning, and Maya immediately noticed the tension radiating from the girl. She pulled back an arm's length, studying her face worriedly. Lucy's body was solid, her eyes widened and mouth slightly parted, and had Maya not paid attention she would have missed the faint shivers rolling down the blonde's spine.

"Luce?" she whispered, tentatively. The trio forgot breakfast for a moment, as Lucy slowly sat on a chair with her hands over her face. She inhaled shakily.

"I'd completely forgotten about that."

Ivy crossed his arms over his chest, "You didn't remember that you're supposed to be back in Fairy Tail after you finished training?"

Lucy shook her head, sighing heavily. She didn't feel ready to see them again, especially when Gajeel clearly stated that they didn't want her back. Maybe she should just stay with Ivy and Maya, in Dragon Claw, and forget about Natsu… No. She made a promise to Master, and as a celestial mage, she always kept her promises. She'd go back.

But, she didn't want to go back. That was something she couldn't deny. She was downright scared—scared of the guild's reaction, scared of still being kept in the dark… scared of Natsu.

Maya was quick to note her inner quarrel, so she knew she had to voice that plan she'd been keeping for later. Lucy needed it. But first, she needed to remind her of the most important fact.

"Hey, you're still not finished training," she reminded, grinning. Lucy frowned, and Maya smirked, "You said it yourself. You want to train for as long as you can, and that doesn't imply just training with magic. Whatever happened to melee combat with Loke?"

Lucy looked up at Maya's cheery green eyes, and let a smile slowly stretch her lips. Ivy smirked, satisfied, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"And we're here to help, remember? I'm dying to fight with you," he said, grinning mischievously.

"You're not done here, Luce," Maya said, with that smile that reminded her so much of her favorite fire mage, "and to prove that…"

She stuffed her hand on the pocket of her denim jacket, and pulled out a crumpled slip of paper. Lucy frowned, taking it and unfurling it.

_Powerful mages wanted to defeat a monster terrorizing a village in the outskirts of Onibus!  
Reward: 8,000,000 Jewels and two powerful Celestial Silver keys._

Lucy gasped softly. 8,000,000 Jewels?! She lowered the paper when she was done eye scanning it, and was met with a smirking Ivy and a grinning, jumpy Maya, who placed her hands on her hips confidently.

"We're going on a mission?" Lucy inquired, surprised, though her voice clearly showed her enthusiasm. Maya grabbed the paper, nodding fervently.

"And not just any mission!" she said, excitedly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy asked, suspicious. Ivy showed her a thrilled grin, and pointed at the bold, large 'S' she had stupidly failed to notice.

"We're going on an S-Class mission."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUUUUUUN. I wonder what awaits them there… (ahem, or WHO). Don't worry about Natsu's perspective, I know you want it, but you know I provide it when you most need it. Which is…**

**Anywho, I've realized some people think Lucy's overpowered, and even stronger than Makarov. Chill. Like KuroiAoiShishio suggested, there needs to be a 'c*** in the armor' and soon enough you'll see what kind of loophole I set for her.**

**As per usual, my request for you to REVIEW, and my threat to MELT YOUR BONES INTO ASH AND DUMP THEM IN THE NEAREST OCEAN if you don't. Ta-ta.**


	13. Gajeel and Natsu

**SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I had a few troubles going on, but here it is!**

* * *

It wasn't the same. That was pretty much as clear as a perfect diamond. Their lively and cheerful aura was definitely dead. There was no fighting, no loud screaming, no funny business going around. That only contributed to the guild's sorrow. It didn't look bright anymore – it emanated darkness. Not the bad kind of darkness, just a melancholic darkness. All thanks to a certain celestial mage.

Gajeel raised a studded eyebrow at the guild's dejected mood. Mira was serving food and drinks without a smile. Gray wasn't stripping at all. Erza wouldn't even look at her slice of cheesecake. Wendy would just sit around and read books, books Levy claimed to be of Lucy's possession. That mourning behavior was downright pitiful.

Speaking of pitiful – Natsu. Whenever he came to the guild, he only hung around Happy, and didn't even smile or talk. He didn't get near his team, or Lisanna for that matter. He just sat on a booth, forehead on his crossed arms, his hair hiding his emotions. Happy had stopped trying to cheer up his foster father long ago. It was no use.

Gajeel knew. He knew why the brat went on a lot of missions – to search for her. He always left in a hurry, only showing Mira the slip of paper noting the mission and leaving without a word to anybody. He knew it was an excuse to search for his girl because he always came back looking worse than he had ever before.

And Levy. The bookworm was terrible. After all, she was her best friend and felt incredibly stupid and guilty for ignoring the blonde. Most of her time at the guild was spent reading books, books, books and more books, as a distraction – to not think about how greatly she missed her. Gajeel could only be with her when she cried.

By now, speaking the mage's name was a taboo. Nobody spoke of her, let alone mentioned her. No one dared, fearing the sadness that would come and, more importantly, the possibility of Natsu's rage. Or his tears.

Gajeel could only watch as Fairy Tail dearly regretted the absence of their celestial mage, even if he knew of her situation and how she was doing in the capital. Sort of. And he wasn't going to blurt it out. They all deserved it – they ignored her for just a girl that came back. She may have been back from the dead, but tossing Lucy to the side was pushing over the limits. And Gajeel knew how to punish them.

"Keep them in the dark, huh?"

Laxus raised an eyebrow as he said it, eyeing Gajeel cautiously. The Iron mage just stared at him, arms crossed and almost always present scowl in his face. Laxus then smirked slightly, tinged with what seemed amusement and quite a bit of cruelty.

"I couldn't agree more," he said. Gajeel huffed in agreement.

He had approached the Lightning Dragon Slayer, intending to tell him and only him of Bunny Girl's whereabouts and situation. He was quite surprised and impressed with the details of her new abillities, but had shrugged it off to keep cool, even despite his obvious relief when knowing the blonde was alright. After all, both guys and perhaps Wendy had been the ones to acknowledge her presence, making sure she wasn't entirely alone.

"Serves them right," Gajeel huffed, and turned, leaving without further ado.

They all deserved it. Sure, he wasn't all that close to her, but he just knew Fairy Tail deserved some taste of their own medicine. He hated to keep it from Levy, but he knew she'd stand out too much, and people would start annoying him with questions.

Gajeel began munching on a small piece of metal, as he sat in the same booth as Levy, who was yet again engrossed in a novel. Gajeel contorted his lips, straightening himself in his seat.

"When are you ever goin' to drop the books and start doing missions again?" he inquired. The little bluenette cringed slightly at his question.

"You know when."

Gajeel answered with silence, crossing his arms over his chest as he scanned the mood of the guild with his eyes. Just as dreary and dark as usual. It made him feel somewhat annoyed.

"I won't feel at peace until I know she's safe," she whispered, afraid to be heard. Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell makes you think Bunny Girl isn't safe?" he inquired, "She can damn well take care of herself."

"Yes, but still," she insisted, and finally put her book aside, "She's not with us."

Her eyes were glimmering with tears again and her lower lip was trembling, as she fought the incoming tears. Gajeel momentarily forgot his resolve, frowning.

"But she's safe."

Levy's head went up like a spring at that comment, and Gajeel flinched. Well, shit, he just blew up his cover.

"What do you mean she's safe?" she asked, her tone a bit too loud, "Do you know anything, Gajeel?"

He didn't answer, only to aggravate Levy's worry and anger. She started glaring at him.

"Gajeel!"

Silence. That was the last straw. Levy jumped from her seat violently, and slammed her hands on the table for the whole guild to hear and turn their heads at. Her tears were falling now, and her brown eyes held the uttermost worry and panic, with a visible hint of anger.

"Gajeel, I will only ask you one more time," she spoke loudly, the words echoing in the sudden silence of the hall, "Do you know where Lu-chan is?!"

The words hung in the air like a death sentence, before most of the people in the hall harshly halted their behavior and stood up to approach Gajeel and Levy. Gajeel narrowed his eyes. Oh, it was his fault alright.

"What is she talking about, Gajeel?!" Cana inquired, glaring at him.

"You saw Lucy? When?" Erza demanded. Gray wasn't far behind.

"How is she?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in both suspicion and worry.

Gajeel tsk'ed at all of them, glaring for the whole guild to see.

"She's alive and she's not in danger. That's all you need to know."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" Gray spat, fistening his hands, "She's a member of Fairy Tail! She's our family!"

"Didn't seem like it five months ago," Gajeel answered crudely.

Gray was about to go on a rampage, seething with anger and mistrust for Gajeel's words, before a certain fire mage slowly stood up from his seat. His pink bangs shadowed his eyes in an eerie way, and the aura he gave off was enough for Gray and the others to step back – other than Gajeel.

"You saw Lucy?" he asked, in a quiet, monotone voice. Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"No freakin' duh. 'S pretty clear now."

For once, Natsu remained silent at his sharp tone, still glaring at the ground behind his salmon locks. Happy wasn't enjoying this side of his foster father, and moved to Charle's side. Finally, Natsu looked up from the ground. Everybody flinched. His eyes were dangerous slits, resembling a dragon's furious glare, as he stared at Gajeel.

"Why didn't you bring her back with you?" he asked, almost growling. Gajeel now glared at the pink haired pyro, unafraid as always.

"Unlike you brat, I respected Bunny Girl," he cleared, and smirked, "And as payback for what you did, I told her you're glad she's gone."

The sudden gust of wind that kicked the guild's front doors open described Natsu's reaction quite well. Most of the guild was shocked and some were grossed out at the Iron Dragon Slayer's words, uncapable of forming words that illustrated their reactions.

"Why… why the hell would you do that?" Gray breathed, frustrated and angry at the same time.

Gajeel didn't even have time to reply – Natsu's enflamed fist had cut his words short and sent him crashing to a couple of tables and chairs on the other side of the hall. Nobody moved, watching the fight between the Dragon Slayers unfurl in silence. Gajeel grunted, jumping to his feet after dusting out his clothes, as Natsu approached him. He wasn't spouting off nonsense or even throwing a tantrum. That was what scared Master Makarov the most. It meant Natsu was truly mad.

Gajeel dodged the incoming punch from the fire mage, and took the chance to hit him square in the jaw with his iron club. Natsu went staggering to the floor, but the way his animalistic eyes and fiery aura burned as he stood up only had Gajeel realize the brat was positively considering murder. Their fists collided, and the fight kept going.

"Why…?" Levy suddenly sobbed, breaking the silence, "Why would he say something so awful to Lu-chan?"

Laxus raised an eyebrow, watching the drama unfurl in his dark corner. He wasn't sure he could answer Levy's question. To him, it was practically rhectorical.

"You seem different, Laxus."

He snorted at Mirajane's comment, and fixated on Natsu and Gajeel's battle. He wouldn't dare say it aloud, but the way the pyro's eyes were wild with feline green had shudders run up his spine. No one ever taunted Natsu whenever he had that look.

"Do you know something?" Mira kept asking, in a tone that was not hers. It was low and like a whisper, as if she was constantly lost in her own thoughts, "Something you share with Gajeel, perhaps."

Screw her and her perceptive gift. Of course that demon would notice something was up.

"You're all asking the wrong question," he stated, bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Evergreen suddenly cut in, who had been close, with the Thunder God tribe. Laxus shrugged.

"You're asking why Gajeel would say that to blondie," he said. "He's got a reason."

"What reason?" Mira asked. He crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.

"That's up to you all to figure out."

Mira glared at him, her lips pursed.

"Why aren't you helping?" she muttered. He raised an eyebrow at her, and let out a boomering laugh that startled the whole guild.

"_I'm _not helping?" he said, loud enough for Gajeel to hear. The Iron mage snorted at his sarcastic remark, knowing fully well why he was so taken aback by Mira's accusation.

"Suddenly _we're _the ones not helping," Gajeel deadpanned, and ducked to avoid Natsu's fire roar, "The _irony._"

"What are you talking about?" Erza demanded, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

Gajeel gritted his teeth, and decided he was about done. Glaring at the incoming fist from Natsu, he escaped it, to painfully grasp a handful of his salmon hair and consequently stopping him from fighting him. Natsu winced at the pain, glaring at Gajeel with those perilous slits in place of his usual black eyes. The Iron mage couldn't care less about his anger, the glare motivating him to pull at his hair tighter.

"Think, you son of a bitch," he barked, shaking him with his hand, "**Think**. Before you realized Bunny Girl was gone, when was the last time you talked to her?"

Natsu must have been so furious to the point of not registering a word of what Gajeel had asked–and slipped out of his sharp hand and kicked him hard in the chest. However, the rest of the guild had clearly heard his question. Gray frowned, slowly taking in the truth of it, as Erza crossed her arms in deep thought. Levy was the first one to react.

"Oh Mavis…" she breathed, and turned to stare at her far left. The Take Over mage sighed, nodding.

"It's my fault," Lisanna admitted quietly.

Everyone stopped on their tracks, including Natsu. He froze, his fist scarce inches away from Gajeel's scowling face, and slowly turned to her. His eyes were still much like a hungry lion's stare (or dragon), but they now sported a hint of confusion. She pressed her lips together tightly.

"When Team Natsu and all of you decided to suddenly catch up with me, what did you do with Lucy?" she asked the inevitable question. It was to everyone's surprise that her voice had a tinge of anger and disappointment.

"We…" Gray trailed, his eyes slowly widening in realization, "Oh, no…"

"We didn't…" Erza finished, her shoulders slumping in shock and guilt as she closed her eyes, "I never thought I'd do such awful thing, especially to Lucy."

"It's our fault," Levy summarized, burying her face in her hands.

Laxus eyed the mages that slowly faced the undeniable truth, only to scowl slightly at Natsu's bewildered expression. Deciding he should follow Mira's 'advice', he walked towards the pyro with crossed arms and a glare. Gajeel stepped back, watching Laxus lean forward to be in the same height as Natsu's.

"When you were spending time with Lisanna and your team, where was blondie, Natsu?" he asked. "Where was Lucy?"

Natsu blinked, his eyes returning to that shade of black as he finally came to his senses and processed the truth behind Laxus's question. The Lightning mage's lips twitched.

"She wasn't with you. For three months, you forgot blondie was your best friend."

Laxus turned abruptly from a wide eyed Natsu, heading to the stairs that lead to the second floor.

"Face it, Natsu. It's your fault she's gone," he said, while leaving the overwhelmed guild.

Fairy Tail watched as a teary and dull eyed Natsu slumped onto a chair, staring at the ceiling without being able to conjure words. This time, Lisanna dared to approach him, Happy right behind her. She took a seat across Natsu, eyeing him with both sadness and frustration in her azure eyes. His eyes fluttered shut, lips parting.

"Why do I feel so lonely and empty?" he suddenly whispered, in an uncharacteristically broken voice, "Why do I feel so… _heartbroken_, about… Lucy being gone?"

Lisanna smiled softly, petting the ears of a sad Happy. Ironic.

"Because what you feel for Lucy isn't just friendship," she explained, and leaned forward, "Natsu, there are certain degrees of love. The love you feel for Lucy… isn't the same you feel for me, per say."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he muttered, confused. She smirked.

"You know all that romantic, boyfriend and girlfriend crap?" she asked, to which he nodded, "Picture yourself and Lucy in such relationship."

Natsu blinked twice, slightly caught off guard, but shrugged and obeyed. Holding hands with Lucy. Hugging Lucy. _Kissing _Lucy. Calling her his girlfriend – and calling himself her boyfriend. Lucy whispering those three words in his ear. Lucy kissing his neck, his hands drifting south, his name rolling off her lips in such a way that shudders went up hi – he had to stop there because Lisanna was smirking at him for blushing a shade of red darker than his fire, or even Erza's hair.

"By that tomato red in your face I bet you've reached a conclusion," she declared, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

"I'm…" he breathed, "I'm in love with Lucy."

"You're in love with Lucy," Lisanna repeated, almost approvingly. Natsu's lips twitched in a slight smile, as he placed his arms behind his head.

"I think I knew that, somehow," he muttered, grinning, "I've felt like this about her ever since she's joined the guild. I guess I just didn't know what to call it."

That smile of his suddenly died, replaced by a tasteless frown.

"But she's gone," he stated, dryly, "She'll never know."

Lisanna smiled widely, her eyes narrowing with kindness as she touched his shoulder.

"Then bring her back. Bring her back and tell her, Natsu."

He eyed her for a moment, taking in her words. That was something he already knew he had to do. Bring back Lucy. But now, with this whole epiphany, he had a new purpose behind that mission. And it only made him crave for her return even more. To tell her his feelings. To tell Lucy Heartfilia that he, Natsu Dragneel, loved her from the very bottom of his heart. He guessed it was supposed to sound off to him, since it was so cliché, but he found that he didn't. Because it was the absolute truth. That was merely the truth of what he felt for Lucy.

He had to find her. He _would _find her.

"Happy," he called, suddenly standing from the booth. The Exceed followed suit, blinking in curiosity as Natsu began walking towards the guild doors.

"Natsu? Where are we going?"

He halted, turning on his heels, and Happy couldn't help but start crying when seeing his face. Natsu was smiling. That signature grin of his was drawn to his lips and his dark eyes gleamed with that hint of mischief he always possessed, and Happy couldn't be… _happier_.

"We are going to find Lucy."

Happy blinked for a second, the tears running down his cheeks, before he nodded frantically and squeezed the fire mage in a tight hug as a grin of his own went up his face.

"Aye!"

* * *

**I'm sorry that Fairy Tail POV chapters are short, but that's what my head allows me to write. Don't worry, you'll be seeing how they're doing through the story… or maybe something else. Gihi.**

**REVIEW. Also, tell me what you prefer—RoLi or StiLi? (I think you know pretty damn well what pairings these refer to). Personally, I like StiLi. But I want to know what my beloved readers think.**

**ABOUT THE ROLI/STILI MATTER: I've created a poll about it on my profile page and I wish you to vote. Even if these pairings aren't supposed to play that much of a big part in the story, I still want you to choose. My decision will be based on the poll results.**


	14. Of Quests and Novels

******ABOUT THE ROLI/STILI MATTER: I've created a poll about it on my profile page and I wish you to vote. Even if these pairings aren't supposed to play that much of a big part in the story, I still want you to choose. My decision will be based on the poll results.**

**Another reasonably short chapter... but I promise the next ones are going to be truly satisfying. Whether it's related to NaLu moments or just longer, I don't know...**

* * *

_This is not a good idea, this is not a good idea._

This was definitely not a good idea. Going on an S-Class mission? Not a good idea. Going on a mission out of the capital? Not a good idea. Going on a mission that happened to be _way_ too close to Magnolia? Freakin' bad idea.

"Maya," Lucy said harshly, gritting her teeth as they rose from their booth in the guild hall, "Master Danny clearly said I'm not allowed to leave the capital, and so are you two!"

"We'll be back before he even notices!" she reassured, waving her off. Lucy growled.

"We'll be _brought _back by Master before _we _even notice!"

"Keep it down, you two, you're starting to draw attention," Ivy hissed, glaring at the pair of girls. "And Lucy, relax."

"You too, Ivy? Argh, are you kidding me?!" the blonde groaned. "Am I the only one with common sense here?!"

"I have common sense—" Ivy placed his hand on Maya's mouth before she could make a snide comment, "—and I think this is good for us. We've been wanting adventure for years and now that we finally get a job request like this there's no way I'm letting it go. Besides, it's perfect to test your new magic, Lucy."

"The S-Class mages will notice it missing from the S-Class request board," Lucy retorted stubbornly.

"We have no S-Class request board, we place all of the requests in one board," Ivy said dryly, to which Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Yes, we're _that_ poor."

"And _that _powerful, powerful enough to defeat this monster. Come on, Luce, a little adventure doesn't hurt!"

"I've had plenty of adventures back in Fairy Tail, any more and I'll go insane," she muttered. She half expected them to be slightly offended by the comment, but that wasn't the case.

"Well then, it's time for some Dragon Claw adventure," Maya countered, pouting. "Come on!"

"No."

"Come on, come on, come _oooooon_."

"Maya…"

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on—"

"ALRIGHT, FINE!"

"You mean it?!" she asked, bouncing on feet and grinning widely. Lucy scrunched up her nose.

"On one condition. Let's not go _now_."

"Huh?"

"I mean," Lucy began, sighing, "let's do other jobs before we do this one. Simpler jobs. And then, only _then_, we can take this S-Class quest."

"Sounds reasonable," Ivy agreed, nodding his head. Maya however, had a growing pout in her face.

"Not to me. Regular jobs aren't as fun as S-Class quests!" she whined.

"Exactly, because S-Class quests are all about fighting and spitting out blood, and that's not fun at all!" Lucy retorted.

"I beg to differ," Maya huffed. Ivy rolled his eyes, poking her left temple.

"Depends on the situation, moron."

Lucy slammed a slip of paper on Maya's face before she could start a brawl with him, glaring at the pair of Dragon Slayers.

"That job is a simple job in the capital. They want us to catch a few bandits that have been stealing jewelry from stores, they're not even mages. We get 30,000 each if we catch them."

"When do you think we get it done?" Ivy questioned. She shrugged.

"Hopefully by tomorrow, or even tonight, my landlord is complaining about my monthly rent and I'm running short on Jewels. I'm counting on you guys," she said, effectively pouting as cutely as she could to persuade them.

She inwardly thought about what Natsu and Happy's reaction would be. They'd probably blink at her, and then laugh out loud, rather labelling her pout as a face not so pleasant to look at.

Maya and Ivy actually surprised her by widening their eyes and sighing in defeat.

"Don't do that, Luce, it makes me want to give you a lollipop and squeeze you silly," Maya said, gaining a face quite similar to the one Mira would make in her childhood—the one she made when young Natsu started crying. Lucy blinked, thinking _why on Earthland had she remembered that_.

"Did I ever tell you you're pretty damn cute? Well, there," Ivy said, smirking. Lucy knew he was just complimenting her, as she knew who he truly was after, and smiled. Even through the pink in her cheeks, the smile was wide and and hinted with pride.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Silver."

"You're welcome. Now," he said, roughly stealing the job request from Maya's hands, "let's get it over with and do this job."

They ended up doing three regular jobs, much to Maya's dismay. The first one, to catch those bandits, wound up to be tricky. They were fast, and hid well in the night, so their choice to split up hadn't been the wisest. Lucy was the only one capable of conjuring light to her eyes (how she had done that with Venus Lucem was still a mystery), so she had found two bandits and captured them easily. Ivy and Maya were not so lucky. Due to the moon being completely concealed by the dark clouds, the night was of a pitch black. If they hadn't put their Dragon Slayer senses to a use, it would have been impossible to tell where the criminals were at.

After handing in nearly fifteen criminals, Lucy insisted they went on another job. Maya would have complained (Ivy wasn't really bothered), but Ellia had already registered the job as taken and she didn't have a say in it. This one was slightly harder, since the people they had to catch were mages. Yet, they caught them without any major problem, though Maya should have really toned down the violence. She destroyed nearly as many buildings Natsu would have, and her reckless behavior took its toll on their reward. Instead of earning 80,000 Jewels, they earned just as much as they had on their first job. Lucy glared at the poor girl through all the way home.

And then the third one, surprisingly suggested by Ivy. Maya had dramatically stated he was joining the dark side (which had made Lucy glare and pout at the same time), but he merely brushed her off and began explaining the job. This one was specifically, and secretly, requested by Princess Hisui herself. Apparently, she wanted a very rare rose from within the Forest Groove, a very exquisite one. They asked why she wanted another flower when the gardens of Crocus were packed with beautiful ones already, but she had simply smiled, and said that one more wouldn't hurt.

Well, it wouldn't hurt _her_. Lucy had found the reason behind those 130,000 Jewels as a reward—the rose was in a very secluded area of the forest, which happened to be surrounded by dangerous looking felines and she had to fight every single one of them to get the rose. It was worth the exhaustion though, the rose was very beautiful. It was of an unusual green color, flawless and vivid, resembling the shades of a jade. _Hisui_, Lucy had remembered, smiling. They carried the rose carefully back to the palace, and when the princess saw the blonde with the precious rose tucked in her fingers, she gasped in awe and thanked her over and over again.

"This rose," Lucy had began, smiling, "this is one of the rarest roses in Fiore, Jade Sprout, right?"

Princess Hisui smiled in appreciation, nodding.

"This is the rose I've always wanted. It's not by accident that my name is Hisui. This was my late mother's favorite flower, and I wanted to have one in her memory."

Lucy smiled when she took her hands in hers, thanking her again, and the trio left the palace with a handful of cash and a special discount voucher for Lucy, Hisui sheepishly calling it a way of making it up to her. Fighting dangerous, leopard looking creatures had its advantages.

Now, the blonde was _innocently_ looking up from her (in process) novel, in the middle of Dragon Claw's crowed hall, and facing a furiously glaring Maya and a scowling Ivy with his right brow up. In the brunette's right hand was a crumpled job request, which Lucy didn't fail to notice to be the S-Class quest she had promised to accompany them on. She gulped.

"Okay, Luce, we've done _three _regular jobs. Now, can we _please _go and defeat this stupid monster?" she whined, waving the paper in front of her like a maniac. Lucy stared at Ivy, silently begging the man to help her out. He puckered his lips, as if deep in thought.

"Sorry, blondie," he said, shrugging with his signature smirk. She moaned in defeat, and let her head hang low on her knees.

"Why are you so keen on avoiding this mission anyway, Luce?" Maya asked, and then frowned, "Is it because… it's so close to Magnolia?"

By how Lucy flinched, Ivy guessed Maya had just struck a nerve. Lucy kept silent, merely nodding as answer.

"Relax, then. We're going near Onibus, not Magnolia. Heck, we're going to chase it through the forests nearby, no need to worry," Ivy reassured.

"Yeah, it'll be fine, Luce. Nothing bad will happen."

"I know that," she said abruptly, and sighed. "I just… ah, I'm done worrying. When's the next train leaving?"

Maya furrowed her brow in confusion, before she jumped high in the air with her hands up and silly looking grin in her face. Ivy and Lucy had to laugh at her childish antics.

"YES!"

* * *

When the three boarded the train for Onibus, the night was dark and awfully silent. The sight of the cloudy skies through the window of their booth only cooperated with the jitters Lucy was getting from the mission flier. She pursed her lips, re-reading the information and attempting to refocus over the loud racket a few kids were making on the other side of the train, playing some sort of game of tag regardless of the late hours. Lucy ended up sighing, still not liking the idea of doing this mission.

"Are you alright, Luce?" Maya called softly.

"Are _you _alright?" Lucy asked, surprised. "Don't you have motion sickness?"

"Nope. Since Earth tecnically has healing abillities, I'm not really affected."

"What about Ivy?"

"He has a special pill he took before he boarded," she explained. "I maintain my question. You look frustrated. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I guess. I'm just a little nervous, I've only done an S-Class mission once and it was because Natsu dragged me along."

"But haven't you faced worse, from those adventures you've told us?" she insisted.

"Huh… I think I have. Maybe I'm really getting worked up for nothing," Lucy said, furrowing her brow.

"That's the spirit. Come on, it'll be fine! With your celestial caster magic and your new fighting skills, I bet you could even take on one of the tenth saints."

The blonde's eyes went abruptly wide.

"Oh no. I'll be pushing up daisies if I ever try that."

"Don't be so dramatic."

"Sorry, _midget_, but I'd rather not die at the tender age of seventeen. Almost eighteen…" she muttered, faking a horrid grimace. Maya puckered her lips with a raised brow, torn between wanting to rip her head off for calling her midget and laughing at the ridiculous face she was displaying.

"Never call me that again and I'll drop the subject."

"Deal," Lucy said, smirking slightly.

Both girls allowed silence to wash over the mood, and Lucy took the opportunity to grab her novel with a pen already in her hand. Maya saw her intentions, and decided to keep quiet. Lucy read her last few entries, leaning her chin on her palm as she worked words in her head and willed them to come out as beautifully as she always endeavoured. Maya eyed the blonde mage curiously as her face contorted in what seemed concentration and frustration. Her green eyes squinted to read the charcoal words on top of the page faced in her direction.

"That your novel?"

Lucy glanced up, only to stare back at the pages with her hand already writing what her mind had conjured to describe the scene in picture.

"Yes. Second attempt, though, I threw away my first half written novel," she said.

"Why?"

Lucy shrugged half-heartedly.

"The way I wrote back then was not as smooth as my current way of writing, and the plot was simply childish and cliché," she explained in an unheeding voice, as she furiously poured words and adjectives onto the paper.

Maya scrunched up her nose, crossing her arms. Her eyes settled on the swiftly moving pictures outside the window, darkened by the somber sky.

"You should have kept it."

It was Lucy's turn to frown.

"Why?"

"It was one of the first steps you took to become a writer, right? You should have kept it as a reminder of your mistakes and how you should fix 'em."

Lucy blinked, and nibbled on the end of the pen.

"Didn't think of that…"

The pregnant silence was back again, and this time the kids in the back row had decided to keep quiet. Perhaps already tired from playing so much during the past few hours, and Lucy couldn't blame them. They had even pressured Maya to play with them, which the brunette had easily complied, and Lucy and Ivy were left watching the bunch with amused stares and common laughs.

Lucy shook her head with a soft smile, briefly eyeing Maya, before she returned to the ongoing work in her hands. It was actually getting good. What had inspired her was beyond her knowledge, but she blessed it to no end. Writing always made her forget about all worries and dilemmas. It was like music. It swept her off the face of Earthland.

She stopped writing for a moment, admiring her handiwork with a small smile.

_Lynette eyed the target that stood hanging a few feet away, pulling the tight string of her makeshift bow close to her cheek. She inhaled, pressing her lips together, and loosened her hand, allowing the arrow to fly towards the target at the speed of light. A small rush of pride washed over her when it hit dead in the center, but she kept her face firm and stern._

"_What's your trick?"_

_The princess turned to the source of the voice, bow taut in her hand as reflex, but sighed in relief at the familiar sight of Niall's tousled scarlet hair and piercing orange eyes. He looked amused, grinning with a raised eyebrow. She mimicked his brow gesture._

"_My trick?"_

"_You've been with us barely over a month and you are already a skilled archer. How do you do it?"_

_Lynette shrugged, preparing another arrow as the hybrid dragon approached her in slow steps. She pulled the string once again to her cheek, feeling his presence inches away, and fought to keep her breathing steady. She always lost sense of thought whenever he was too close, and she hardened her grip on her bow as response to the conclusion in her head. Her cheeks were already heating up, and a scowl took over her face._

"_Hey, you okay?" he asked quietly, his breath fanning over her ear. She struggled not to shiver._

"_Yep."_

_She loosened the string, feeling relief when the arrow hit the target where she wanted it to. Niall whistled, and she turned to face him. She nearly regretted it—he was close, so painfully close, and he didn't realize the effect it had on her._

"_You're getting good… getting more like a survivor, and less like a princess. Wild, ferocious," he said, smirking, and moved his hand to brush a strand of golden hair from Lynette's pale cheeks._

_He stared directly into her forest green eyes, making her cheeks go red and her heart go berserk. His smirk pervailed as his other hand snaked around her waist, bringing them even closer, which was proven possible as contrary to what Lynette believed._

"_Maybe you've been spending too much time with me."_

"This is great stuff…"

Lucy squeaked, jolting in her seat at Ivy's sudden voice near her ear. For a moment there she feared her novel would fan out on the floor, but gladly she caught herself before the papers could slide farther down her curled hands.

"Since when have you been awake?!" she hissed. He moved from behind her, plopping down on the seat next to her.

"Just five minutes ago. You seemed so out of it though, focused on those papers, so I thought I'd check it out," he explained, and eyed her curiously. "Did you write this?"

She cleaned her throat, nodding. He raised his brow, clearly impressed.

"This is very good, Lucy. I think you should get it published when it's done."

"You really think so?" she asked, smiling. He nodded, grinning.

"Yes, I do. Though you do realize the way you describe Niall reminds readers somewhat of You-Know-Who? No, scratch that, Niall is basically him."

Lucy blushed faintly, and nodded, storing away her novel.

"I may have created Niall using a few bases from Natsu…"

"_May_?" Ivy teased. Lucy rolled her eyes, laughing softly.

"Shup up, Mr. Silver."

"Make me, blondie."

She ignored the nickname, "Pushing aside novels and fire mages, what are we going to do when we get to the forest near Onibus?"

"We'll speak to the job requester first, naturally, and see what kind of downfall awaits us."

Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"That's it? No studying this mighty beast?"

"That's part of what the job requester has to tell us. Once we are filled with reasonable information, we'll set out to look for the beast after planning for a bit."

She merely pursed her lips as an answer. She had dealt with an S-Class mission before, as she had previously stated, yet couldn't help but feel a revolting cocktail of emotions spiraling in her mind. Courage, panic and fear were part of the mixture. Something about this job made her uneasy. Lucy had the severe fear at the pit of her stomach that this was all going to go downhill.

* * *

**Knowing me, yep, it's probably going downhill, Luce. But you'll never know unless I keep writing this fic. Which I will. Probably. Putting that aside, tell me what you all think of Lynette and Niall.**

**Needless to say, REVIEW. You know I can punish you if you don't. Like… taking three months to update. Hmn.  
**

******ABOUT THE ROLI/STILI MATTER: I've created a poll about it on my profile page and I wish you to vote. Even if these pairings aren't supposed to play that much of a big part in the story, I still want you to choose. My decision will be based on the poll results. If you wish me to add a pairing, review it.**


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